Struggles of Golden Silence
by Daytime Television
Summary: Hinata suddenly suffers an accident and it changes her life. No, she was already mute. She moves to Konoha and gets caught in the dark past and troublesome present.
1. The Introduction

**Struggles of Golden Silence**

**Daytime Television: **Hello! This is my first Fanfiction. I do not know how regularly I will update, but I can assure the reader that I have experienced the frustration of waiting for a good story to continue (and sometimes seeing that the last update was a year or two before). Anyways, enjoy and review in any way you want because even a flame still counts as having a review!

**Disclaimer: **About 1 in 6.7 billion people own rights to _Naruto. _I believe the odds are against me.

Also, I put Sasuke as the second character. This does not necessarily mean a pairing. I have not decided on any pairings or if there will be any. It means that Sasuke plays a slightly larger role in the plot then some of the other characters. That being said, he doesn't appear for a couple of chapters.

**Current Status: **I am re-writing it. Chapters 1-3 are re-written so far.

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**Chapter One: The Introduction**

Hinata sat in the back of a car with a pleased look on her face. Today was her parents first day off from work in a couple weeks. Hinata's parents were doctors, and extremely busy ones at that. The hospital that they worked at had been having some problems lately because of a scandals and consequently, lack of funding.

There were a lot of layoffs and cuts in equipment. Thankfully, they managed to get through it with their experience and expertise. Although now they had to work almost every day and work extra hours to keep the hospital running.

Today, the family was going to the grocery store to buy food. In all the madness, they only ate easy to make frozen foods. They lived about fifteen miles from the grocery store in the forest, and Hinata was not allowed to go.

_Thank God that we are going to buy some real food, _ Hinata thought, _ Mac and cheese, ramen, and cereal gets old. _After a few minutes of a winding road, the car entered the small city. It was not too big, but it had

"Well Hinata, maybe we can find some place in the city to live in someday" Hiashi said, " It sure would make the drive easier."

"That won't happen, you know how much she likes the forest" Hinata's mother replied.

_It's not like I like the forest, I just really hate being around so many people and all the confusion, _Hinata thought as she looked to the setting sun, _But the forest is nice._

They arrived at the grocery store moments later, parked the car, and walked in.

"Hinata go find some desserts, choose what you think looks good, we will go and find the other stuff"

Hinata walked throughout the store to find the dessert section.

_I wish I came to the store more often, finding this took too long. _She picked out some cake mixes and icing. _I had better get back to them soon, or else they might start to worry._ She ran around a corner, and suddenly she collided hard with another shopper. Grocery items scattered on the floor. Hinata was knocked a couple feet back to the ground. She looked up and saw a blonde, who looked about her age getting up and coming towards her.

"Oh crap, I'm so sorry, I was in a hurry, and I wasn't looking where I was going, are you alright?" He said, helping her up, "So, looks like a lot of stuff, need some help?"

Hinata quickly gathered her things, smiled at the stranger, nodded no, and left before he could say anything else.

"Hmm, I did not know I came off as an intimidating person" He sighed, "Too bad I'm leaving today, otherwise I could go find her"

_I hope he doesn't get the wrong impression, although me running away does not help in that regard. _Since she lived away from the city, she never really interacted much with other people.

She found her parents ready to pay for the food.

On the drive home, Hinata thought about the incident.

_I really hate coming off as rude and ungrateful. He seemed nice, that guy really seemed concerned about me. I probably should not have left so quickly, and maybe I could have made a friend._

But, even if the same event happened again, she probably would end up doing the same thing.

Two years ago, she was walking around the city alone after school, when a man grabbed her and threw her into his truck. It was so quick and carefully planned that she did no even know what happened for a couple of seconds.

Once she regained sense, she streamed at the top of her lungs and kicked at the windows to try to get somebody's attention. The man turned around in the driver's seat and slapped her and then grabbed her by the collar,

"Shut up or I'll make you shut up," he vehemently commanded, his tone suddenly changed, "Look at it this way, either way I taking you wherever I want to and you can't do a thing about it. Keep quiet or things will get ugly." Her subsequent protests earned her another strike, a little harder that the previous one.

He then proceeded to blindfold her, without further resistance because of fear.

"Can't have you knowing where you are"

After a couple minutes of driving, the car slowly came to a stop and the man led her out of the car and into a building. He tossed her in a dark room and locked the door.

Late on, Hinata woke up in a windowless, locked room, with a single flickering light bulb on the ceiling. There was also a bed and some old furniture along with some empty beer bottles. She stayed there for a couple of hours until the same man walked in.

"Look kid, we have nothing against you, just your parents, if you and they cooperate, you will be fine"

"What have they done to you!" Hinata yelled

"Well, you see, I used to be a doctor, and I also ran a sort of 'company'. Some other doctors and me decided that we were not getting paid enough and deserved a raise. We asked the board of directors, but those greedy bastards declined. So, instead we took some things here and there to make some extra side cash. We thought we should be nice, so we let the other doctors in on the secret"

"Did you ask my parents?"

"Oh yes we did, what a mistake that was. They reported us! We lost our job, and no one would take us. But, see, I'm smart, and got a hold of the new doctors filling in! I got them to join us! This time we did not tell your dirty parents. But, our replacements got a little carried away and took drugs to sell on the streets, not just simple equipment. The head doctor, your father, found out when he noticed that the hospital used medicine on a day when it was closed. He called the cops and they arranged for an undercover to try to purchase some drugs. Unfortunately, I came that day also to discuss business with the same doctor. Long story short, I got caught again, and now owe a lot of money, plus prison time."

"Isn't that your fault?" Hinata asked

"No, but I'm going to ransom you and then take off with the money" He laughed, "I already contacted them and they don't have a choice"

He stormed out, and did not come back for a day.

Sometime during the night though, he burst through the door. He grabbed Hinata and started cursing. Hinata heard someone outside yell "We have the entire building surrounded." He seemed terrified and was shaking, and had a knife as well.

"L-Look's like their not c-cooperating," he said and then paused, "So your coming with me."

The police kicked the door in and broke the lock. They rushed inside. He had the knife to Hinata's throat.

"Don't shoot or I will kill her!" he cried in vain. One of them shot him in the arm holding the knife. Unfortunately, he still could move his arm a little. He screamed in pain and slashed Hinata's throat. They all shot and killed him.

Hinata looked at the scenery as they left the city. The sun was setting and the bright orange light seemed to flood over the shadows that were the trees. After that incident, they moved out of the city to their current home. In addition, she also became homeschooled.

Suddenly, her dad got a phone call.l

"Yes….Yes…alright, I understand, I will be there right away" He said

"We have an emergency. A person just came into the hospital from an accident. There are no doctors there right now. The staff there needs us to lead the surgery to save him"

The car sharply turned onto another road towards the city.

"Sorry Hinata, we don't have time to get you home." She noded. The car accelerated.

"You can wait for us inside"

When they got to the hospital, her parents jumped out of the car leaving Hinata alone.

_I guess I'll just wait here… But I don't even have a book to read or paper to draw on. Staying here will be boring. They also said it was serious, which probably means they will take a long time. I should go in and find something to do. _She opened the car door and walked to the entrance. The automatic doors slid open, and she walked in. The lobby smelled musty and was crowded. It was late, so these people didn't talk much, but she could imagine the chaos in the daytime.

_Where could I find someone to help me?- _She scaned the room-_ The reception desk has a gigantic line in front of it. Hmmm. _Then she spoted a hurrying doctor- _There! –_She opens here mouth to yell and get his attention and nothing comes out. The doctor quickly passed by without a glance– _Whoops! I can't believe I forgot about something like that. I'm not going to get ever going to get his attention. I don't have any paper or pencil on me either. Looks like I'm stuck waiting in that line._

The line moved fairly quickly and in ten minutes she reached the front.

"What can I help you with?" The lady asks staring at a computer. Hinata waited until the lady looked up and then grabbed an invisible pencil and pretended to write. The dark haired lady thought for a second: "You need a form to set up an appointment?" _Sure. _Hinata noded, and the lady handed her a paper and pen. Hinata promptly wrote over the printed page in large letters **My name is Hinata Hyuga, my parents had to come here for an emergency, and did not have time to take me home, **and when she's finished, shows the receptionist. Then she turned the paper over and writes **Is there anywhere I could wait for them until they finish?**

"Ah, you're their daughter. I remember you from a couple years back. I'm a colleague of your parents, a doctor, except I'm stuck being a secretary until we can hire one. As for where you could go, all of our rooms are full, so then next best place is the lounge on the third floor."

The lounge was had some chairs and couches, as well as a television. There were only a couple people in hospital gowns there. No one noticed her entry.

She found a comfortable-looking couch.

_Well, sleeping sounds nice. _Hinata dozeed off.

The room slowly melted into darkness, then, to a brightly lit white room.

She felt drowsy and struggled to even open her eyelids. After a couple minutes of hearing the voices in the room, she opened her eyes and took in the scene.

_Why are there doctors looking at me? And why am I here? _

"She's awakening_"_

"Thank god she's alive. I thought she wouldn't make it_"_

"If she had not received treatment immediately, who knows what could have happened"

_I try to get up or at least lift my head with no success. I can see all these machines attached to me. I try ask them what's going on, but I feel a sharp pain in my throat, and all that comes out is a pathetic noise._

"Your throat's been damaged severely. Don't try to talk, you'll only make it worse"

_I get frightened, and try to scream at the top of my lungs. Blood spurts out of my neck and mouth._

"Quickly, stop her, she's going to hurt herself even more,"

_The doctor dashes over and stabs a needle into my arm. I feel light headed and the room begins to spin. My vision goes and then I slip into unconsciousness._

Hinata woke up to the sound of thunder and sound of raindrops. She calmed herself down and wipeed the sweat off her face, and looked around the room. She was alone.

_Wow, that storm came in really quick. There's a downpour outside. How long have I been asleep? ...Three hours! That certainly wasted enough time. They are still not here. I should have brought some work to do. But I guess I won't fall behind because I have been homeschooled._

She got up and went down to the lobby where she spotted her parents talking to the receptionist.

"There you are. We just finished and were looking for you. Glad you found a place to wait. Thanks for helping her, Shizune."

"No problem. I wish there was an empty bed, those couches look uncomfortable. See you tomorrow."

Then, once they got into the car and drove off, Hinata gave a puzzling look at her parents. They thought for a second and understood what she was wondering.

"Someone had a terrible accident and were near death. We were able to stabilize them for the time being" They responded.

"We have to come early in the morning tomorrow to see how everything worked out"

Hinata leaned on the window of the car touching the cold glass and looked out. It was dark now and surrounding forest made it darker. Suddenly, the car jolted and the window shattered.

…

As they were turning a curve, the car skided over a patch of ice that had formed, halfway into the other lane. This might not have been a problem had it been a large empty highway, and not a two-lane road with an oncoming car.

...

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That's the first chapter. Thanks for reading and please remember to review. Tell me whether to continue writing the story, or quit and go sulk in a dark corner for the rest of my life.

Remember to review, thanks.

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	2. The Aftermath

**Chapter 2: The Aftermath**

Hinata's eyes opened and it took a couple of seconds for them to get adjusted to the bright light in the room. The room slowly materialized in front of her. It was an empty hospital room. She waited for what felt like hours until people came in.

A group of people stood at the door way talking. They did not look very happy, like they had been up all night for days. Steady beeps fill the room.

"Tsunade, if you had not been there immediately, she would not have made it," one of them says.

_Wait, were have I seen this before? White room, those people…._

_This is another one of those dreams. I must have fallen asleep in the car. I'll just wait until I wake up._

_This pain, it somehow real… And there seems to be a huge pain coming from my arms. _She managed to lift her head and looked around.

Tsunade answers "It's unfortunate that those two could not be saved"

_This can't be a dream. What happened? I remember the car hit something and then I blacked out._

"This will not be good news for her to hear. It could hurt her even more."

_What just happened? _Hinata slowly realized what happened. The room got out of focus and it began to shift. The voices sounded distant. Her stomach churned.

The beeps in the room went much faster as Hinata's heart sped up. The others in the room rush to her side.

"She's awake!"

"She's hyperventilating do something," Shizune walked over and stroked Hinata's hair and said "You remember me? Calm down, please, we'll explain everything" Hinata calmed down and waited for them to say something.

Shizune spoke first "You were in a car crash, and you are injured. Your left arm is particularly messed up."

_That would explain the weird numness coming from that area. _Then, Hinata mouthed "Tell me more".

Tsunade spoke this time " It seems your car slipped into the oncoming lane. It scraped the other car and then rolled over off the road, and then was stopped by a tree. I was in the other car and I went over to help. I was pretty hurt myself, but not seriously. I'm a renowned surgeon so I was able to begin to treat you as soon as I got to the car. The ambulance came and brought you to the hospital. While I have not done a major surgery in years, I agreed to lead it. You're lucky, you were near death. You've been here for a four days already."

"And my mom and dad?" Hinata mouths again. The room went quiet. Everyone looked away with sad faces. Tsunade and Shizune look at each other and agree.

"I'm sorry, they did not make it. Most of the damage to the car was in the front where they were sitting. They were gone when I got there. Only you still had a little life left." Hinata started crying and everyone tried to comfort her. She soon went to sleep.

"Let's let her rest a bit" And they left to a lounge.

"What is going to happen now?" Shizune asked Tsunade.

"I don't know, we are going to have to see how she progresses and how bad of an injury she has. I think she might be able to start attending school if she heals well."

"She was homeschooled before though, don't you think that would be a better idea," Shizune suggests,

"No. She needs to get out and be with other people"

"Probably then, for the past two years she has only really been around her parents. Now that they are gone, she won't have anyone to be with"

"Hey, wasn't Sunday their day off from work? They were busy people, and I heard from someone that to day they were resting" Tsunade asks.

"It was. They were going grocery shopping when I called them because a boy had come in here completely torn apart. Hinata and him were the two major events of the week, and on the same day too. You know Tsunade, Hinata's parents rivaled your expertise. They saved him, even though it seemed like it was certain death."

"The hospital lost its best"

"Why don't you take a position here Tsunade? There is a dire need for some experience around here"

"Oh, you might like to still work here, but I prefer the quaint and quiet life of a school nurse back in Konoha"

…

A later in the day, Tsunade went back into the room. Hinata was awake most of the time now. She seemed to be getting better. Someone had to feed her since she could not get anything for herself for the time being. In addition, she was still weak so because writing was out of the question, consequently they had to rely on Hinata mouthing words or her facial expressions.

_I wish the last couple of years had been better, _Hinata thought, _After the incident it seemed they drastically changed and became overprotective and forbid me from leaving the house. Of course, I still explored the area when they were away working…_

_I never saw them very much either since then. Even when they were there, they seemed drained._

The next day, Hinata woke up early. She was not in the mood to sleep. When she looked at the clock, it read 5 AM.

She got out of her bed for the first time. Her arm was bandaged and immobile, so she was careful not to cause any damage. She was a bit wobbly, but after a couple of minutes she felt better.

When Tsunade walked in the afternoon, she was staring out of the window. The television was broken and Hinata could not read a book or play with anything. This is what she did to entertain herself. Outside there was a courtyard type of area where people went to get some fresh air.

"Hey, cheer up. I think you're well enough to go out there if you'd like"

_Finally, I get to go outside after four days and not sit here completely bored out of my mind._

Hinata got up slowly and started walking towards the door. "But first we have some business to attend to. Follow me." They walked through some hallways and down a flight of stairs until they reached a large room with a lot of exercise equipment.

"Being physically inactive will hurt you. You're going to be here for at least a couple more weeks because you need to have some more surgeries to fix that arm of yours more. While you are here, you need to stay strong and fit. You will get out of here faster if you do," Tsunade explained. Hinata nodded and headed towards the door.

_Of course, I was pretty active before, and I have not done anything for so long._

"Wait, I'm not finished yet. I got a trainer for you. He works at the school that I work at and he is highly qualified in exercise and martial arts. His name is Might Guy. I got someone from that far away because it seems there is not someone as talented in this town," Tsunade paused for a second and looked at the exhausted girl. And then quickly adds, "But…He will not be here until tomorrow, so consider today a day off. Go and play or something." Hinata walked out the door and entered the courtyard, which was adjacent to the room. She found a bench and sat down.

_It looks like I'm still really weak. _She sighed. There was a large tree at the center. The branches and the leaves on them stretched out high in the air and gave Hinata shade from the blazing noon sun. There were other people there but she did not think anyone would like to have a conversation with someone who could not talk or even for the most part communicate with them.

A cool wind passes over and shakes the leaves on the tree. In addition, breathing in fresh air put her more at ease. She felt better already.

Some leaves fell off of the large central tree and were carried off by the wind. One lone leaf slowly floated down and landed in front of her. She picked it up and looked up at the tree, then back at the leaf. Her eyes start to water.

_I've lost my parents too… Where will the wind take me? _Hinata lets go of the leaf and it twists and turns with the wind out of sight. After doing this, she lay down on the bench and looked up at the sky. It was partially cloudy, but a good amount of the sun's light still passed through.

Out of a window Tsunade looked out. A person dressed in green with a bowl hair cut comes up from behind her and yells, "I'm HERE! Where is this fiery youth that you have spoken of?"

"Sorry Guy, I'm going to let her rest another day. She has been through so much and one day won't hurt her recovery. Since you are not going back for a couple weeks and have leave from the school, I thought it would be alright."

Guy looks outside and sees her sitting alone. "Poor thing. I'll have her better in no time!"

"Don't go to hard on her. You are not here to train someone, just for some physical therapy."

…

The next day Hinata woke up early and went outside again. It was still chilly outside, but as the sun rose higher and higher in the sky, the area grew warmer and brighter. She sat there for an hour looking up at the sky again before Shizune came.

"We kind of forgot to tell you…but…. Your parent's funeral is today actually. Would you like to go?" Hinata smiled.

_Of course, who do you think I am?... _She paused…_Where did this sarcasm come from? I guess my personality has changed a bit._

"Let's go inside and then you can go get ready," Shizune said again. Hinata nodded then got up and followed her. They were walking thought the halls when Shizune added some information.

"Your cousin Neji will be there too" _Him? I thought he didn't like my family or me. Maybe he's just here to make fun of me. My father and his father are twins, but mine was born first. Because of this, my grandparents always preferred him more (some ancient tradition or something). And then Hizashi-san somehow died for my dad. He never told me about it though._

"Get ready and then we will go" Shizune said once they reached Hinata's room.

The funeral turned out to be an average one. Some friends of her parents that Hinata had never seen before talked about how great they were and how generous. It certainly was a sad occasion, and Hinata's eyes watered at some times, but she was mostly recovered. She had already mourned in the past days, and more gloominess won't bring them back. In addition, she had felt like she lost them years before. Tsunade and Shizune came, of course, and Neji also was there. They didn't get a chance to talk until the end of the funeral. Hinata had been trying to avoid him the whole time. She was walking away eager to leave before her cousin could find her. Neji spoted her and ran over. Hinata prepared herself for ridicule. But he does not have that look on his face.

He awkwardly hesitated trying to get the right words out.

"Listen Hinata-chan, I know I have not been kind to you in the past," Neji stated. _That's putting it lightly…_

"I have changed. I understand your pain and your loss, and I want to help you. I hope you can forgive me."

_He's changed? But he was so vehement before. Something big must have happened for him to be this different. I can forgive him though._ Hinata smiled and hugged him. He stood there shocked how easy she forgave him. After a couple of seconds, he remembered the rest of the reason he came,

"Listen, I was thinking and you can't stay all by yourself," he paused again, " You should come and live with me. I have a small house in Konoha. As you know, I live alone, but it's better than no one, and there is a high school there that you can attend."

Hinata shrugged. _I don't know, I heard that Tsunade wanted me to back to school as soon as possible. _She thenlooked and pointed over at Tsunade, who was taking to some random person.

"Ask her?" Neji confirmed. Hinata nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'll meet you back at the hospital, and I will speak with her then"

Neji drove in his own car back, following Tsunade's car. When they arrived, Neji got out and talked to Tsunade for a couple minutes. Hinata went back to her room. After they were done, they walked back inside to find Hinata.

"I think that is a great idea. I was thinking about putting Hinata in a school somewhere, but I did not know if leaving her alone would be right. This solves the problem."

_Well, it certainly doesn't solve all the problems…Hinata_ paused again _Darn it, there I go again with that attitude._

Neji turned to her, "Hinata as soon as you are finished here you will go and live in Konoha and attend Konoha High. By the time you are done, you will have missed a little of the beginning of the school year, but not much."

Hinata nodded and then Tsunade spoke again,

"You forgot one thing. Guy's waiting for you downstairs."

Hinata walked down the room they were in the day before. She walked in and scanned the room before she found him. He was focused on doing push ups and did not notice her. She waited patiently until he stopped and turned to her.

"Heeeello. Nice to meet you! You must be Hinata-chan" Hinata smiled and then bowed.

"Well then, let's get started! Let's start by walking a couple laps to get the blood flowing!"

...

Afterwards, Hinata was exhausted. She did not do anything really difficult, but she was still especially weak, stronger than the day before, but not recovered completely yet. After the hour of work out, Tsunade came it to check on her.

"By the looks of it, he made you run laps over and over again." Hinata just layed there, too tired to move. "Here get up I have to see if you're recovering." Hinata got up, and Tsunade came over. Tsunade removed the bandages on Hinata's arm. Even Hinata was shocked. She already had a scar on her neck, but on her arms it looked like that scar over and over again all over her arm. Her arm felt numb, the only thing she could feel was pain from there.

"See how much you can move." Hinata tried to her arm. She started to move her hand up and then the rest. She movements were shaky and stabs of pain constantly pricked her, but she managed to lift her arm about half way up before she felt like she could go no further.

"Looks like you can't pick anything up yet. We'll work on that." Tsunade said. "Tomorrow is the first of a couple operations that will be done to help you recover more. Get some sleep."

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That's the end of chapter 2. Thanks for reading.

Just a friendly reminder, click below!

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	3. The First Day

**Daytime Television: **I would like to thank _Kaida-chan _and _Bloodgalore_ for being the first two reviewers. Everyone else, please follow in their footsteps, I would really appreciate it.

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**Chapter 3: The First Day**

Exactly a month, a month of agonizing operations and healing, after the accident, Hinata was leaving the confines of the hospital. Although she was in much better condition, Tsuande did not let her out into the city for some reason. Instead, she passed her free time exploring the hospital and the garden outside. In addition, there were no people her age there except for a couple of boys that constantly tried to hook up with her, that is until Tsunade set them straight. A couple of times, though, she listened to some old people and the stories of their youth.

Today, she was playing some chess with an old man.

_Hmm… If I move there, I can beat him in a couple of turns, but then he might notice that the other side is left open. I'll take the chance. _Hinata moved the bishop over to the opposing side to prevent the King from moving. The old man quickly moved the rook down to her side and pinned her rook to her king. _Darn it…Now I can't move it up to beat him. I'll move another piece up… _The old man then moved his bishop down for the checkmate.

"You still haven't beaten me yet, but good game," he said and Hinata agreed.

**I have to go Danzo**. Hinata wrote on a piece of paper.

He nodded and then she went to go see Shizune, who told her that she needed to speak with her.

An hour later, Shizune was driving Hinata and herself to the old house to pack up her possessions to take to Konoha. The road to her house led out of the city to Konoha. She had not been on this road since that night. The drive was eerie because she could recall the moments leading up to the crash.

_Their last words were , _"_We have to come early in the morning tomorrow to see how everything worked out." I touched this glass, and then…. _Hinata shivered as she touched the glass at the same moment they passed the site. She looked over and saw the uplifted earth and bushes that led to a rather thick tree. The tree had a large gash in it. The car continued moving and soon the area was out of site. Shizune let out a sigh of relief and tried to hide it. She did not know how Hinata would react to seeing that.

_And now we pass what we never got to that night…_She tries imagining how the night would have continued had nothing gone wrong.

_We would have gotten home, and then I would have gone to my room to sleep. They would have also. We would all sleep peacefully on clouds without a worry. Well, I would have, they would have probably still been thinking about their work the next day. They would have woken up early and gone saying only 'Remember to stay inside the house and don't get into trouble', while I would have woken up late and spent the entire day reading or going out in the forest. She would have not a concerned about anything, everything would be alright….._

Hinata snapped out of her wistful trance when Shizune asked, "Are you alright? You seem pale"

She nods. _I'm alright. Nothing happened. Just got to stop thinking about the past. Got to think about now, like my new school and the… _Hinata stoped and has the realization that she was going back to the world that she left years ago, _I can't talk, and now I'm limited in doing stuff! What will everyone think? How did I forget this? What if they don't accept me and call me names or bully me?_

"We're here Hinata." Shizune exclaimed.

_I'll think about this later_

"I have to go back to work, but Neji-san will come and pick you up in a little bit"

She stepped out of the car and gazed at her house. The two-story house blended in to the forested surroundings well. Had there not been a driveway, most people passing by would probably never see it. Shizune's car drove off. Hinata walked to the front door and found that it was already unlocked. Her parents always left the door locked for some reason, so it was odd.

Then she stepped inside she looked around. The air definitely had an old, stale feel to it and there was a lot of dust on the floor. She noticed that there was hardly anything left.

_Shizune told me that most of the stuff had been sold and taken away. Everything but my things._

Her steps on the wooden floor echoed throughout the whole house as Hinata walked up the stairs and went to her room. On the door to her room, there was a sticky note with a large "x" on it. This probably signaled the moving people to stay out of here. The door creaked open.

The room was just as she had left it. The walls were bare and painted with a dull shade of blue. _Where to start? I see someone left some boxes in here. I'll put stuff in there. _She went to a bookshelf and started picking paperback books off one by one. Her left arm shook a little bit and while holding some lighter books. After all that time recovering, she had slightly better movement and there was less pain.

_Good thing that now I can at lease pick up light things. A month ago I would have probably waited for Neji to come back._

Soon she filled the half-meter tall box. The only books left were a group of thick encyclopedias, which were too heavy for her to get. I'll leave that as a present to whoever buys the house.

_Next up, clothes. _The clothes were much easier to move, so that packing went faster.

_Last, the miscellaneous objects. _She put a small alarm clock in and some pictures. She then checked the rest of the house for items. Hinata wanted at least one thing from each of her parents. They never were the type for personal objects, so she did not expect to find anything that was left behind that carried some kind of sentimental value. Thankfully, she managed to find an old journal with some medical notes in it and a necklace. Hinata went to her room and pushed the boxes with her foot down the stairs and to the front door. Neji still had not come.

_I'd better check to make sure he's still coming to get me._

Hinata searched for a phone and, surprisingly, found it on and still working.

_I don't know his number, so.._

She leafed through an address book and found his name.

Then, she dialed his cell phone and waits for him to pick up.

"Hello….Hello?" She tapped the phone a couple of times, "Hello? Who is calling?" There was an awkward pause. "What is this number?" Neji thought to himself as he tried to remember whose number it was, "Oh Hinata. It's you. " She got an idea and then pressed the number "1" on the phone and he heard the beep.

"Sorry about that. I was trying to drive and read the number on the phone at the same time. I'm on my was there and I think I will be there in about 10 mintutes or so."

Once they hung up, Hinata got everything ready and then went to the backyard. There was a little bit of lawn space with overgrown grass that had not been cut in years. After that, the rest of the forest began.

She traced a route that she usually followed. The ground was slightly worn in from her use. Finally, she passed by a large tree that she once read under. Then, she had begun to regularly climb it.

The first time she climbed it out of boredom, she found a black wire going through the upper branches of the tree and to the other trees next to it. When she followed the path of the wire by climbing the other trees, she found that it completely circled the house.

Hinata also realized that the first time she went past the wire and further into the forest, later that evening her parents scolded her for going out into the forest, without offering any explanation of how they knew. Once she made that realization, she tested it again and found the same results, but she did not really question it further.

_I can't climb the tree to check, but it's probably still there…_

Hinata then turned around and re-traced the route back to the house. A couple minutes after she got back inside, Neji came in, greeted her, and took the boxes and put them in his car.

"If that's all, then let's go" Neji said getting in his car. Hinata noded in agreement and they drove off.

…

The car ride was not particularly interesting, as neither of them had too much to say. Consequently, Hinata just stared out of the window looking at the trees passing by in a blur.

An hour after leaving the house, they arrived in Konoha. Hinata had never seen it before and noted the differences. It was definitely larger than her hometown. There were a lot of people and a lot of buildings that surrounded a mountain. When they passed by the school, she noted that it was not small, but it was not gigantic. Hinata preferred the school to be as small as possible, but this seemed like a good compromise.

"My house is relatively near the school, which is just over there." Neji stated breaking the silence and pointing to a building. Then, true to his word, a few minutes later they reach his house.

"I don't have a large house considering I live alone, but I do have an extra bedroom," he told her once they got inside. Once he showed her the room, she noted that it had a bed and a desk in it. Nothing else.

"Sorry there's not much. I didn't know what you would like, so I thought I'd let you do what you want with it," Neji shrugged and she smiled back at him in thanks. After he left, she got to unpacking all of her stuff. She organized it as best she could in a couple hours. After the somewhat rigorous work she sat back to see the room as a whole. There was no book self, so she had to neatly put the books in a corner. There was a ledge in the wall, next to her bed, and that is where she put the alarm clock and photos. Thankfully, there was a closet, and she put all of her clothes in there.

_The white walls aren't that bad either._

Her stomach growled.

_I only had breakfast, and now it's the evening. Let's go see what food I can eat. _She walked to the kitchen. Neji is there eating a slice of pizza and the rest was in a cardboard box on the table. He swallowed the food in his mouth and looked at Hinata,

"I ordered pizza because I can't cook very well."

_No problem, pizza is always good. _Hinata took a slice of pizza, sat down, and started eating it. They ate in silence for a few minutes, then Neji spoke, "Your first day of school is tomorrow." Hinata almost choked on the pizza in astonishment. She completely forgot that today was Sunday. "I know, you just got here, but school started more than three weeks ago. You don't want to get behind even more. Don't worry. Next weekend you can go do what you want."

Hinata regained her composure and shook her head. _No, that's not what I'm worried about. _She looked around for something to write on. Neji got new one out of a plastic shopping bag and handed it to her. She took the notebook and wrote something and then showed it to him.

**I've haven't really been around other students much. **Hinata then added more, **I'm worried about how the students will see me.**

"Oh, your worried about that. Well, I'm sure that everyone will be nice. I think it is good for you to go back to school and meet new people. It won't be that bad. As for your …er…disabilities. Umm….I've already notified the school. All the teachers know. If they ask you a question, you can just write the answer. Don't worry, I'm in the grade above you. If you ever need anything, come and find me, I will be near by"

Hinata sat there thinking about what he said.

_I guess I can't do anything about that as it's probably not possible for me to hide it. I'll just have to deal with it._

Hinata sighed and wrote again on the paper,

**Alright, I'll do my best.**

Neji nodded getting up and putting everything away "Good. Now you better get to sleep. You don't want to be tired tomorrow."

…

In the morning Hinata rose up early to make breakfast knowing that Neji probably never made a good breakfast.

"You did not have to do that," Neji said to her. She had her notebook in her hands already,

**You would have had old cereal instead?**

"Yes…," Neji said defeated, "Thank you then."

Then they ate breakfast and when they finished, they got in the car and drove to school. The school Hinata saw the day prior came into view. The parking lot was about not that full considering there was still a small amount of time before school started. It seems a lot of people like to get there on time and no earlier. They got and entered the school. Hinata looked around at the walls and the classrooms as they walked through the hallway. They somewhat like the school she went to a while ago, although this was a high school now.

_Make sure to remember where everything is. Don't want to get lost and not be able to ask for directions._

On the way, Tsunade spotted them.

"Hey, nice to see you here today. You should start by going to the office. See you later" Hinata must have looked very confused because Neji then explained, "While she's an amazing doctor, she prefers to work here as the nurse." She nodded.

They arrived at the office. "May we speak with Sarutobi-sensei."

"Sure, right this way" a dark haired lady said as she led them to a spacious office. In the room there was an old man sitting at a desk doing paper work. The stack of 'to do' paperwork was huge. He looked a little tired (it was Monday morning) but shook off his tired look and turned his head up from his work.

"Hello! I see we have our new student here today." Hinata bowed. Then he continued, "I think you are going to do just fine here. You'll find this school to be great experience." She smiled and then looked down at the floor fidgeting.

"She's a little shy because she has not gone to a normal school for two years," Neji stated.

"That's alright," Sarutobi replied and then looked straight at Hinata, "You'll get used it soon."

"Thank you Sarutobi-sensei. We have one question," Neji mentioned,

"Sure, what do you have in mind?" He replied.

"Since she is coming in three weeks late in to school, what do we do about that?"

"Ah yes…. She'll just do make up work and try to pay attention until she's caught up. It's not like she hasn't' had any schooling, just homeschool. Everything will turn out well. Also, here's your schedule, Neji will show you to your homeroom"

He then started saying stuff about school rules and other things. Hinata tuned out of it. She had the upcoming day to think about.

"That is all I need to explain today. And by the looks of it you are already a little late. Here are a few papers you might need. Now off you go. Have a good day" he commanded as soon as he finished and had a chance to look at the time. They bowed and exited the office.

As they walked down the hall Neji asked, "Are you alright?"

She grabbed her notebook and wrote **It's bad enough being new. **He got her meaning.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," he reassured her once they stopped at her locker, "This is your locker and its combination is written on one of the papers that Sarutobi-sensei handed to you."

Then, he led her to her classroom and stopped at the door "Remember, if you need anything, just come and find me, I'll be around somewhere". Hinata nodded and they went their separate ways.

_I can do this. Don't panic, stay calm, and be friendly. That way no one can get annoyed and maybe leave me alone._

She took a big breath, opened the door, and walked in.

At first no one noticed her. Everyone was talking to their friends and minding their own business. She felt a little better at this sight, that is until people one by one noticed a stranger walking in. Every single one of them stopped what they were doing and watched Hinata.

A white haired teacher expected her arrival got up and introduced her, "Everyone, we have a new student today, Hinata. She's coming in a little late in the school year so please be nice and help her get used to the school," the man said making most people go back to what they were doing before. He turned to her,

"You can call me Jiraiya. No need to be formal." Hinata waited for a second to because he looked like he was trying to remember what else to say. "Oh. I remember now," he said, trying to get the classes attention again, "Everyone, also I forgot to mention that she doesn't speak. Hinata you will be behind Naruto. You can go over and sit in that last empty seat, the other empty seat is Naruto's, he's late again."

This time people did not go back to their business. Instead, now they were curious.

She looked over to where Jiraiya was pointing to, and like he said there were two empty desks.

_He made it seem like it's a choice…_

She walked over to her desk completely being stared at.

Just at that moment, someone came rushing through door. This now drew everyone's eyes to him.

"Sorry I'm late," he said grinning, obviously not really sorry.

"Well, I've come to expect certain things from each student. I also see that Kiba is not here yet. Well, go sit down," Jiraya sighed. The blonde came in and walked over to the seat in front of her.

_He seems familiar. Where have I seen him before?_

Naruto also had the same look on his face as he noticed the new person sitting in the desk behind him. When he sat down and he instantly turned around.

"Hey, I've never seen you before," he said questioningly observing her, "are you new?" Hinata nodded.

"Oh ok, how are you today, then?" She smiled while trying to stay calm. This was the first person so far that talked with her. "What are you shy?" She blushed a little at his frankness. Naruto stared at her for a second and then exclaimed, "Well, nice to meet you," before turning forward again and talking to someone else. After that, she just sat there drawing random lines, while listening to the people around her.

_That's good, no one else is trying to talk to me._

When Jiraya dismissed the class, Hinata waited for everyone to get up and begin leaving. She didn't know where the next class was so she followed Naruto. Her next class was English taught by Kakashi Hatake and thankfully Naruto was in the same class. The teacher was not there when she arrived. She sat down near Naruto when they got there, since he really was the only person that she had had any interaction with at all. Some other people came in after them. The last guy looked at her and then sat next to her.

"I heard you're new. I wasn't there this morning because I was late. I'm Kiba."

Hinata smiled made a friendly gesture. Then, before he could comment on her silence, she pointed at an odd lump in his jacket.

"Observant," he whispered as he opened up his jacket a bit more and a dog head popped out. "This here is Akamaru. I'm not supposed to have him here, so don't tell anyone." She nodded.

"Alright, let's begin." Kakashi said just as he walked through the door, reading a book. "And I see you're new. Here's a book for the class, read it," he instructed handing her a novel, but without even looking up from his own book, "as for the rest of the class, discuss the book, while I watch." The class went on to discuss the book, while he kept on reading his own book. Hinata did not pay attention to the discussion because she had never read the book before. Evidently, neither did a lot of people.

"So where you from?" asked Kiba. Instantly, Kakashi said, "Stop getting sidetracked." Other people also stopped being openly off topic.

About a minute later a wrinkled piece of paper found itself on Hinata's desk from Kiba.

**So, where you from?**

_This worked out better than I would have thought._

She wrote on her notebook **Small town an hour or two away **and then tore note out and passed it to Kiba.

**Meet any other people besides me?**

Hinata thought for a second. **Only Naruto. **Kiba looked over at him sleeping on his desk.

**Figures. He tries to make friends with everybody.**

**Why do you have a dog here? **Hinata wrote.

**He's a very good friend; I could never leave him behind. **He replied.

When class ended, Hinata got out before some people were even out of their seats, she had gone through the door, before Kiba even had a chance to talk with her.

_I don't want him to know yet. _Hinata thought not wanting to risk losing a potential friend.

Hinata knew where the next class, history, was because she saw it on the way in that morning. It was in the main hallway in the front end of the school.

All she carried was a notebook, a pen, and the new book. She made a quick stop to her locker and, consequently, she was the first one there. She saw a brown haired man with a pony tail standing in front of the board writing some notes down for the class. He turned around when he heard her come in.

"Hi. I'm Umino Iruka. I will be your teacher for history. And where are you going to sit? " Hinata picked a desk. Iruka brought a large textbook over and put it on her table.

_Well, it is History…_

"There you go." She thanked him for his help even though she could have done it herself. Not with her left hand although.

Kiba casually walked in, "hey, again."

Hinata waved. More students walked in after him and the lesson started.

Kiba threw her a note again and throughout the class they continued passed notes. They became friends by the end of the class.

The class ended and Hinata left. As she was leaving, her pen fell out from the notebook. Kiba noticed it and went to go return it to her. He spotted Hinata turning the corner.

"Hey, Hinata come back!" Kiba yelled and went after her.

Hinata ran as soon as she heard Kiba. She went around a corner and collided with another person. Her notebook flew out of her hand and they both fell to the ground.

She heard a familiar apology, "Oh crap, I'm so sorry, I was in a hurry, and I wasn't looking where I was going, are you alright?" Hinata looked up and saw the blond hair and realizeed where they have met before

_He's the one I ran into at the supermarket. I didn't recognize him before because he's older._

Naruto had the same realization, and he voiced it.

"I know you…. you're that girl from that supermarket in that town I was visiting. The one who just ran away."

_Oh no, how do I get out of this one?_

Naruto picked up her notebook and handed it to her.

"I just want to talk and get to know you. Please don't run away like last time" Naruto said. "Do you live over there or were you just visiting?" _Looks like I have no choice. _She searched her notebook for a pen and found it missing. Hinata then looked around the ground to see if it had fallen when they collided., with no luck.

Kiba came over to them a little out of breath with a pen in hand.

"Hinata wait up!" yelled Kiba as he reached them, "You dropped this."

Hinata took it and started writing to answer Naruto's question.

**Used to live over there. Moved here yesterday.** Naruto looked at her with a puzzled look. Hinata ignored him, and wrote more, **Were you visiting? **"Um, yeah I was," he had an even more puzzled look on him now.

"You two know each other," Kiba interrupted.

"We met a month ago in a town I was visiting. She ran away from me before I could talk to her though." Both their eyes focused back on her.

Hinata wrote in notebook **Sorry for the hold up. Let's get to class**

Kiba and Naruto kept looking at her.

_It's obvious! They should have figured it out by now, _Hinata thought with an annoyed look on her face.

**I can't talk.**

"Wait, like you really can't," Naruto asked after thinking about it for a couple of seconds.

**Really. Writing what you want to say all the time is not fun.**

"So why did you run away from me?" Kiba added.

**I didn't want you to know, like everyone else, for a little bit.**

"So how does everyone else know then?" asked Naruto.

**You were late.**

Kiba nodded, "We do miss certain things."

**We should probably get going.**

"Agreed." They said satisfied with the answers and noting that their next class was about to begin soon.

Their next class was gym. They walked together until the locker rooms, where they split up. Hinata changed and got out of there as fast as she could because she sensed some evil intent.

Sure enough, some of the girls in there were eying her, waiting for a moment to make fun of her. They swiftly left the locker room when they saw her and returned with their leader.

"Where is she?" Ino said angrily.

"She was just here…," another girl meekly responded, "looks like she already left."

"Damn it. Usually the new girl tries to to get in with us," Ino said angered, "how are we supposed to mess with people if they don't come begging to us?"

"Let's go find her outside," anther girl suggested. The group of five promptly left.

Outside, Hinata walked on to the grass and looked out at the field and track. Then, she saw another familiar face coming towards her.

"Hinata-chan! Haven't seen you since last week!" Guy yelled even though he was right in front of her, "I'll be right back, I have to gather up the remaining people over there loitering next to the building."

_Tsunade said that he worked here. _Hinata remembered and waved.

"How do you know him?" Kiba asked, startling her a bit.

Hinata realized that she did not have her notebook with her. She mouthed the words, "Family friend." _That's a lie, but if I told the truth I would have to explain the whole thing._

Guy collected everyone and then addressed the class,

"Alright everyone. Today is a day for getting in shape! We are going to do laps," he paused building up suspense, "…..All period!" Everyone groaned. Hinata already expected this from Guy. A month ago he told her "If you strengthen one part of the body, the rest will follow." He made her run countless laps so that she could get better. He even tried to get her to do push ups. That failed, but at least she was in shape now. Running laps would not be a problem.

On the track, she started to run, and tried to stay away from everyone, but Kiba and Naruto. Ino kept getting close. Each time Hinata would just speed up and Ino, not being the type for exercise (especially not to get any sort of sweat), would have to slow down and rest.

_Maybe she just wants to talk and be friends._

Hinata let Ino and her group catch up. That was a bad idea.

"Hey Hinata, how's it feel to be a loser?" Ino said trying to be blunt.

"No one likes you here except those other two losers" another one said.

"Back off Ino," Naruto replied.

"What's the matter, is she really that pathetic that she can't defend herself?"

_I've had enough of this. _She ran even faster and left Ino behind.

"Just stay away from Ino. She's nothing but trouble." Kiba advised Hinata.

_I definitely agree_

…

The rest of the day went by the same. Hinata stayed with either Kiba or Naruto when ever possible. Although, she stayed away when their other friends were around in case they did not like her. Ino tried to bully her, but Hinata had experience with avoiding people. Ino could never find Hinata after class or during lunch.

The school day ended without much trouble. After saying goodbye to her new friends, Hinata started looking for Neji. He was waiting for her at the front door.

"So how was your first day of school?" Neji asked. She gave him a thumbs up.

_It went well._

* * *

That's the end of chapter 3. Thanks for reading this far.

Friendly reminder, click below!

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V


	4. The Second Day

**Chapter 4: The Second Day**

After the first day of school, Hinata got home did her homework. She did not feel like going around the city to see what there was to do. Maybe if there was a nice open forest around she would go. There was not much homework either. Since school had already been in session for three weeks, the homework was excused for an indefinite amount of time. Knowing that she was fairly intelligent, Sarutobi told her to just pay attention and she would be caught up. She decided to read the book that was assigned, but she finished it before it was time to go to bed. Hinata was a fairly good reader.

_Let's see if there's anything to eat for dinner. _

Hinata walked to the kitchen and saw Neji opening a box.

"Like I said, I don't and can't cook. I was going to order pizza again, but that would be repetitive, so I got Chinese."

_That's fine. I should probably make food sometime, so that it does not get expensive for him. Does he have a job or something? He's never mentioned it._

"So Hinata, make any friends?" She wrote Naruto's and Kiba's names on a paper.

"That's good. See, I wasn't that bad." Neji responded," Did you tell them?"

Hinata wrote some more, **I told them the mute part**

"Told you that you could not keep it hidden. Did you try to not tell them?"

**Only they know, and I tried to act like nothing was going on when I wrote to them, but they kept on staring at me**

"I also heard in the hallway that that Ino girl is trying to get to you"

**I just avoid her. Don't even give her a chance to talk to me.**

"Just be careful, I overheard her machinations. She's putting a lot of thought into this."

**Will do. Thanks.**

They finished eating and started to clean up.

"I think you should get a book bag, like a shoulder one, for school. That way you can carry books and other stuff around. If you'd like, over the weekend we can go to the store."

**Why not tomorrow?**

"I can't. I'm busy with school work this week."

**I can go alone**

"You don't know the city yet. You could get lost, or something else could happen. I want you to be safe."

Hinata nodded. _I'll be fine. Tomorrow after school I'll sneak out. I won't be gone long, and he's not the type to worry._

…

In the morning they both got ready and headed towards school. When they arrived Neji asked if she needed him to tell her where to go. She said no. Hinata already knew most of the school by now. She walked to her class room and looked for either one of her friends. Naruto was there, but he was talking to a dark haired boy and a pink haired girl. She did not want to intrude, so they went and sat down by herself.

"Hey, come join us." Naruto said once he realized that she was there. Hinata went over there sat next to them.

"This is Hinata" Naruto told the other two.

"Hey" the dark haired one said. He did not even look at her.

"Hi I'm Sakura." Sakura said.

"Sasuke, you should have introduced yourself" Naruto told him.

"You just did," He replied.

She smiled at them and at their arguing.

"So did you just move to Konoha?" Sakura asked.

"She came here from a town about an hour from here."

"Oh really? What made you move here?" Hinata thought for a second and grabbed her notebook.

_Naruto can't answer this one._

**I thought this was a cool city. And my cousin Neji lives here so I moved in with him.**

"Oh, you can't talk." Sakura said. "Naruto why didn't you tell me!"

_She got it faster than Naruto and Kiba! _Hinata nodded.

"But anyways, let's go to class now," Sakura says.

They walk to their next class together and sit down together.

"Kakashi-sensei is always late. He wastes class time."

"So what? That's a good thing" Naruto responded.

"Naruto! Your in school for a reason." Sakura explained. "You agree with me Hinata?"

_I'm staying out of this one._

"Of course she agrees with you" Naruto said "She's smart"

They both look at Hinata waiting for her to agree or disagree. She got her notebook.

**I'm average.**

Naruto then burst out "No you not. All you carry around to your classes is a notebook and pencil. The teachers don't even care. This must be because they know you get an A in the class."

Hinata blushed. _Not exactly, but if that's what you want to think._

Sakura then added, "That's two against one. I win."

"Hold on, Hey Sasuke, who do you side with?"

Sasuke turned from staring out the window, and then glared at them."

"Don't care for your worthless questions."

_Creepy._

_**Why's he always angry?**_

"Oh don't mind him, It's how he is for some reason."

Kakashi walks in and the lesson begins. A couple minutes into the class he walks over to Hinata.

"Have you gotten a chance to start reading the book?" He asked, the whole class secretly listening in.

She nods. She hands him a scarp of paper she wrote on.

"All of it? Good job" Kakashi walks back to his desk to do some more of his reading. Everyone is whispering. Naruto to Sakura about how he was right and the rest of the class about her finishing the entire book in a night.

Kakashi comes back from desk and hands her a piece of paper. At the top is said 'Test'

"Everyone took this test a few days ago when they finished the book."

She takes the paper and begins the test. She finishes right before the class is supposed to end. She hands it to Kakashi, who's eyes furiously scan the paper. He then hands the paper back.

_He's good, grading the whole thing in a few minutes._

"All correct. Everyone, you could learn from such a great student. Only two other people got a perfect score, Sakura and Sasuke, and they had a week to read the book." Kakashi explained as everyone sat their speechless, "Now off you go."

Walking about she heard Ino comment on her. They were not nice words.

_Now everyone thinks I'm a stuck up, cocky, know-it-all. Let the terrorizing begin_

When she arrived to history class, Hinata sat where there was a history book on the desk. Iruka went through a long and boring lesson. Eventually the class ended. She walked out and spotted Ino trying to get to her.

"Don't run away from me!" She yelled and pushed her. Naruto and the others went ahead were not there. Hinata got up and stared at Ino.

"Is that all you can do?" Ino got close to her again. She looked ready for blood.

Ino lundged at her and Hinata panicked. Hinata poked Ino in her neck. Ino instantly backed off and was on the floor.

_Sorry Ino. _Hinata ran away to gym. She saw Sakura in the locker room.

"Were were you? I thought you'd gone to tell Kakashi-sensei something." Sakura asked. "Everything alright?"

Hinata looked at the clock. _Oops. Ten minutes late._

During gym, they ran some more and Hinata was on the look out for any sign of Ino. She was not there thankfully.

After gym was lunch. Hinata found a door leading to the roof and snuck up there. She hadn't had lunch yesterday either. There's no way she'd be able to carry an entire lunch. She did not want the others to figure out more about her. She had made sure that she ate a large breakfast so that she would not be hungry. And also Ino would probably be looking for her there. She sat there looking at the sky.

_Ino's definitely angrier now. I should have just let her do what she wanted._

Her parents knew all sorts of things about the human body. They taught her about pressure points. She had not been good at using them against someone, until Guy trained her.

_It couldn't have hurt that bad. I'm weak and could not have hurt her._

…

Aftert lunch, her friends spotted her.

"Where were you?" Naruto asked.

**I felt kind of sick so I went to go see Tsunade**

"Did you feel sick yesterday also, because yesterday you weren't there either?" Kiba added.

**Yeah.**

"Hey, Hinata I've been looking all over for you" Tsunade suddenly yelled from across the hallway. All of Hinata's friends looked at her. _Well, my lie did not work, but they will have to ask me later._

Hinata went to Tsunade. They walked to an empty room.

"Ino came in saying that you tried to hurt her. She was not really hurt, but I saw a small bruise on her neck. I know Guy taught you how to do that, but you should not go for the neck. You could seriously injure someone."

**She attacked me and it was kind of a reflex. Plus, my arms are not really strong so it wouldn't hurt her. Just give me time to run.**

"Alright, then, thanks"

Hinata turned to go.

"How's school going? No problems besides Ino?"

She nodded and smiled at her and left.

She skipped her next class. She did not want to encounter her friends looking for answers. She would make up the work later. Hinata headed towards the roof again. She opened the door leading outside to the roof. She stepped out and she saw Naruto, Kiba, and Sakura turn their heads toward her.

"I knew you'd come up here. Shino said he saw you coming from here during lunch." Sakura told her.

**Alright so I did not go to the nurse. **_Explanation….What would be a good one?_

**Ino tried to bully me and I did not want to see her so I came up here to eat my lunch.**

"Thank god. We thought you had some kind of eating disorder!" Naruto yelled. Sakura hit him.

"But we would have helped you," Sakura. _Sakura and her probing questions._

_**I didn't want to get you involved.**_

"Actually, it seems that she is able to take care of herself." Kiba jumped in. "Ino was angry during lunch. I passed by their table and they were talking about how you took her down"

Again all their eyes were locked on to her. _I'm getting tired of all this staring._

**I just happen to know where a pressure point is.**

"Ino shouldn't be bothering you anymore."

**Don't think so. She's mad now.**

"We will help you if your ever in trouble."

Hinata noticed someone missing.

**Where's Sasuke?**

"He stayed in class. He's so grumpy." Kiba answered.

**I don't think he likes me.**

They all look at each other and opened their mouths to say something. They stop and then change the subject.

"Let's just go down before anyone finds out we're up here"

Hinata nodded and they all walked down. _I'll have to find out more about Sasuke. I don't' think I've done anything yet to make him hate me._

School was over now. They went to their lockers. Hinata went to hers. She hadn't opened it yet because there was nothing she needed to put in there. She was just curious. There was nothing. Sakura snuck up behind her.

"Nothing? Your amazing. All you need is a notebook and pen."

Hinata quickly shut her locker and they went to go see what the others were up to. She said good bye and then went to go find Neji. He was flirting with his girlfriend. She walked up and they noticed her.

"Is this your cousin Hinata?" she said. Hinata nodded.

"Alright Hinata and I had better get going," Neji said. Then, they drove home. Hinata remembered what she was going to do after school. She was going to explore Konoha and find a book bag.

_I'm going to wait for a chance to sneak out and then go out. I'll leave a note and be back before it gets to late._

_

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That is the end of chapter 4. Please review even if you hated it.

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	5. The Short Adventure

**Daytime Television: **Chapter 5! Enjoy.

**Chapter 5: ****The Short Adventure**

When Hinata got home after school she went to her room to prepare to go out. She went to a box she had in her room with some personal belongings still in it. She found a wad of money. It would be enough. She went to the kitchen and ate random foods like gronola bars and cookies.

_I won't be back for a little while. I'll eat a full meal when I get back._

Neji walked in a hurry. He seemed frantic.

"I forgot a book at the school that I need for homework. I'll be right back." He ran out side and drove away. Hinata listened to the car get farther and farther away.

_Perfect! I have no more than ten minutes before he comes back. That's enough time. I'll have to be quick. Now for the note._

She ripped a page out of her notebook and wrote, **Went to go check out the city and buy some stuff. Be back soon. **And then wrote her name at the bottom.

_All ready. I hope he does not worry._

Hinata put on her coat and walked out of the house and headed down the road away from the school. She looked at her surroundings. A lot of similar houses lined the streets. The sidewalks were not crowded. They were mostly empty. She did see people walking around every now and then. It was the evening now. The sun was low in the sky. The city seemed familiar to her and she already was starting to like it more than the previous one. She passed a more crowded street and decided to follow it. This street was larger and a lot more people were walking around her. It seemed like she was approaching the center of the city.

She looked around as larger buildings came into view. This must be where all the stores are. She passed by a lot of stores until she found one to go into. It was a book store. Inside, it looked exactly like a book store should, rows and rows of books. She passed by them _I don't want to get caught up in reading right now. I might come back another day and see if there is anything interesting. Got to find what I came here for first._

Hinata walked to the back of the store. There was a section for other things besides books. There was some office supplies, furniture, and other related things. Also, there was a small section for school items. In that section, Hinata found a black book bag.

_This fits nice. I'm going to get it._

Hinata went back to the book shelves again.

_I'll stay here for a little bit. Just to see if there is anything worth buying._

She finds a book and starts flipping through it. _Nope. _She another book. _Nope. _Then she finds a book that looks more interesting. _The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. _She flips through it. _This is good._

After looking around some more, Hinata goes to the front of the store and purchases the book and bag. Then, heads outside.

_What now? Might as well check out the rest of the area. _She begins walking out the crowded street. Hinata takes a side path near by. She stares at the reddening sky.

_I have to do this more often. It's calming to be outside to just think. This is probably the first time is have been able to let go of everything since then. It's just been hard. I have not had a time to experience the outdoors like I used to._

Hinata stopped thinking and looked around. She walked in to a rundown part of Konoha. The whole atmosphere was different. She had changed streets so much that she no longer knew where she was.

_I can't turn back. I'm going to have to follow this street until I get to something I can recognize…It's not that bad being lost. I'll get to see more of the Konoha that way. It's good to go outside of your comfort zone._

She kept walking. There was certainly more litter on the street than the previous ones. Hinata only saw a few people. They didn't look so cheerful. She could sense eyes all around her glaring at her from the shadows.

Then, she saw a red headed boy in a dark robe approach her out of nowhere. He had a frightening look on his face.

"Come here," He said as he quickly pulled out a knife, "Give me all your money."

Hinata ran away into an alley. She got to the end where two men with the same robe on stopped her. One was tall with three scars on each side of his face. The other one had an eerie expressionless face.

"Give up" the dark haired one said.

Hinata stops and looks back. The red haired one was behind her. _This is bad, I'm trapped._

"You know usually helpless girls like you would have been screaming for help by now. Aren't you scared?" the big one says. Hinata gulps. _I'm definitely scared._

"Get him Sasori" the dark haired one says to the boy with the knife.

Sasori lundges at Hinata, knife in hand. Hinata dodges the knife barely, it slices through her coat and in to her arm a bit. Then, she hits him in the same place she hit Ino that morning. Then, she swiftly follows with another one in the same place. Sasori falls to the ground stunned. Hinata runs past him speedily.

_That won't stop him for long. Damn my arms. If they were stronger, that move would have kept him down for hours._

Hinata ducks into another alley to avoid being seen. She behind a trash can for a minute waiting to see if the three mysterious people still were trying to follow her. She lets out a sigh of relief when no one comes for a couple minutes.

_Looks like I'm safe for now. I've got to make sure to get out of here as fast as possible, lest more of those muggers try to get me. _She checks her arm. _Just a small gash. Would have been worse if the jacket was not there._

"Aren't you a quiet one." A voice behind her laughs. She turns back and sees him. He is holding a large scythe with three blades. He is also wearing the black robe with red clouds on it. "Looks like I get to kill today!" Hinata runs as fast as she can down the street before he could get any closer.

She does not look back to see if they are still chasing her. She runs turning on every street she finds and taking every short cut that presents itself. Hinata runs for a while before stopping and finally looking behind her. She was no longer in that part of the town.

_It seems I've lost them. Thank God, I'm beginning to get tired. At least I'm out of that part of town. There are some shops here. I just have to find that first street I went on and then follow it home._

Hinata walked around looking for any landmarks or clues. It was getting dark and it was getting harder and harder to see far enough. She followed the street to where there was more people.

_I'm going to have somehow ask someone for directions. Otherwise I am never going to get back. I'm hungry too. _Hinata stops walking and looks at the stores around her._ That ramen shop over there seems like a good idea. Ichiraku Ramen._

She walks over to the ramen bar and a man spots her and comes over.

"Hello! What will you be having today?" He asks.

Hinata shrugs. "Hmm. How about our most popular ramen?"

She nods. He goes to make it.

_I'm exhausted. I could use a good hot bowl of ramen._

In a few minutes he brings the ramen. "Here you go"

Hinata digs in. When she finishes, she pays the man. Hinata gets his attention. She mouths "Home" and the man thinks for a second.

"That makes more sense. You can't talk." The man realizes. Hinata nods and then points at herself, mouths "home" and then shrugs.

_That's the best I can do._

"You don't know how to get home?" the man says. _Yup. "_Let's get you a paper and then I'll see if I can get more information to help you."

**I'm new to the city. I got lost. I live near the high school.**

"Oh! That's near here. Just follow this street until it ends and then take a right and follow that street. There's a sign that says 'school' and you turn left."

A figure appears beside Hinata. "Thanks for your help, but she's fine now"

She recognized Naruto's voice. Hinata hugged him.

"We've been looking all over for you."

_We?_

"Neji went around and asked Sakura and me if we knew were you were. He told us that you had gone to explore the city by yourself. He sounded pretty concerned so we came along"

A car pulled up. Sakura step out and ran towards them.

"Where have you been? And what happened to your arm?" She asked, "Well I guess you can't tell us right now. You can tell us when you get back to your house."

They walked to the car, which Neji was driving, and headed towards their house. When they got there, they all got out and entered the house. They sat down at the table.

"Here you go," Neji said giving her a notebook, "Explain."

**Don't worry, I was just lost so I stopped and asked for directions at that ramen place. Look I even got a book bag.**

"You could have waited until the weekend." Neji replied.

**I kind of need the bag now. **Hinata gave Neji a look. Neji nodded in agreement. Naruto and Sakura noticed it but didn't say anything.

**Anyways, how'd you find me?**

This time Sakura spoke, "We've been looking all over for you when Naruto suggested we take a break and eat ramen. Of course we said no, but he went anyways and we followed him." Hinata smiled.

"Wait, your hiding that cut you had! Did someone hurt you?" Naruto exclaims. Indeed, Hinata had kept her arm beneath the table so that they would forget about it.

**It's nothing. I tried to take a short cut and I got caught in some barbed wire.**

All three of them look at her with puzzled looks. They know she's lying.

"Well alright then, looks like everything is sorted out. Thanks." Neji said not wanting to press the issue further. Naruto and Sakura left shortly afterward.

"So you haven't told them about the other thing besides being mute?"

She shook her head.

"I'm happy that you got what you needed." Neji said, "But don't go out by yourself. Konoha is currently having problems with a gang called Akatsuki. They are dangerous and like to mug people. You don't want to mess with them"

_Well, too late for that._

"What's with that face?" Neji noticed. _Crap._

**Nothing, I'm just tired.**

"Well now it's obvious that you didn't only go to a store and the ramen shop" Neji responded. "Were else did you go?"

_He's really observant. _**No where else. I got lost after I bought the bag ended up at the ramen place. **_Not a lie, just not the whole truth._

"Alright then. I have to get to work on my homework. I searched for you all evening."

Hinata went to her room. She layed down on her bed and took out the book she had bought and began reading.

_Homework is still excused. Tomorrow I will start doing it though. Otherwise, I'll fall behind even more._

It began raining and she could here thunder in the distance. The steady rhythm of the water drops hitting the widow eventually mesmerized her into a deep sleep.

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That's the end of the chapter. I know that it gets annoying asking for reviews, but they are the only way for me to know what you think. Sure the traffic graph can tell me how many people visited the story, but reviews are more personal, and thus, more important to me. Please help me out and review.

In regards to the next chapter, I will upload the new one in a couple days. I have been updating up until now every day or every other day, but my week is about to become busy. No more than a week's wait though.

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	6. It Starts

**Daytime Television: **This one took me a little longer than the rest. I blame an extra day of work and having it mess up my weekly schedule. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

**

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Chapter 6: It Starts**

Hinata woke up and got up slowly. She was still tried from the night before. She did a kind of silent yawn and then got up. The sun already was up and shining through the window. Hianta stops and looks at the clock. _School starts in 10 mintues! _She quickly gets ready and goes to the kitchen. Neji is nowhere to be seen. _What? He would never be late! _She looks on the table and sees a note.

**Thought you could use the rest. Take the day off.**

_What? No way. I still have time. _Hinata quickly gets ready and runs out and almost forgets her jacket.

Being so near the school, she gets there right as school starts.

"Almost late." Jiraiya says to her, "But you're here."

She sat down next to Naruto. Near Naruto are Sakura and Sasuke. Naruto and Sakura greet her but Sasuke just keeps on reading a book without glancing up. Naruto looks at her jacket and sees that it still had a rip in it. She did not have time to fix it.

"Hey how are you today?"

She smiles and gives a thumbs up. Naruto looks at the rip again. She said it was from some branches or wire or something. It looked too clean for that and the rest of the coat was fine. Also, the cut was bleeding a little bit last night.

Sakura was thinking the same thing as they talked. She decided to find out information.

"Hey Hinata see you haven't fixed the rip in your jacket," Sakura said. Hinata was getting suspicious that they were trying to get an answer out of her.

"Yeah, I noticed that too. How did you get it again?" Naruto asked.

_No way your getting me to say a contradicting story. _**Barbed Wire, **she wrote.

"And what were you doing getting caught in barbed wire?" Sakura asked.

_They think they have me cornered but I'm not going to lose. _**Short cut through some houses.**

Naruto gets closer to her and tires to look at the cut. Hinata moves her arm away partially because she did not want him to find anything out, and also partially because being that near Naruto almost made her faint.

"Alright then, let's go to class then." Sakura says and gets up.

This time Hinata went to her locker. She had stuff to put in now. She had brought some books from home and the English book in her book bag. In addition, Hinata also brought a lunch today. She had a sandwich and some random snacks that she tossed in after the hurry this morning. She left the English book and another note book inside the bag.

_Two notebooks now. One for talking. One for notes. That will be so much more organized._

On her way to the class room she saw Ino for the first time since the day before. Ino was walking through the halls with her friends. Hinata spotted her first and turned away. Ino soon afterwards saw her walking away.

"Come back weirdo. I just want to talk," She said it in a soft deceitful voice.

_Nope. Not falling for that one again. _Hinata thought as she walked faster through the halls. She heard their steps following her. _Just a little more. _Hinata reached the classroom door, opened it, and walked in. _Safe. _Kakashi greeted her.

"Ah Hinata," He said looking at her and pointing to her bag, "Good idea." No one else in the classroom knew what he was talking about though. She walked to an empty desk and put her note taking note book on the desk. _It was a good idea._

"And Ino." Kakashi said again," You don't look too happy" Hinata looked up and saw Ino's angry face. As soon as Kakashi said that though, Ino faked a smile and walked past Hinata.

"I'm going to get you" She whispered.

…

Time passed and it was time for gym. Hinata made sure that she got there early and out of the locker room before Ino came. Sakura said she would help her, but she did not want her to get involved. Outside she talked to Guy because no one else was out then.

"So I heard you used that move against someone?" Guy said looking right at her.

_I can't tell if he's angry or happy. _She gave a small nod waiting to hear more.

"The FIRE OF YOUTH BURNS WITHIN YOU!" Guy yelled. Then he got slightly more serious, "Although you should try to avoid it when possible. You may not have the strength to hurt someone, but still." She smiled at him and sighed _What a relief. Don't need anymore people out to get me. _

More people gathered waiting for Guy to start the class. Kiba, who apparently was late again, walked up to her.

"Hey I heard what happened last night. Neji stopped by my house but I was out in the forest. Nice job. Get to know the city and have some fun. You would have had to do it sometime." Kiba said.

"Everyone! Guess what? We're running more laps today!" Guy exclaimed as everyone moaned. They had ran laps for every gym class since the beginning of the school year. "Maybe when you guys really get into shape we can move on to push ups all class period!" Everyone started running. Kiba came up to Hinata.

"Don't you ever take off that jacket? I mean yesterday and the day before it was cold, but today it's actually warm"

Hinata shrugged. _If I take it off they will see the scars on my arms. A really hot day would be bad._

"Hey! I noticed that too," Naruto said. _Oh no!_

Hinata ran away from them before they could ask more questions.

"Something's fishy" Naruto told Kiba.

"Yep" Kiba agreed.

"Did you also notice the rip in her jacket?"

"Yeah"

"She won't tell us what happened." Naruto said, "We are going to try to figure it out."

"I'm out of this," Kiba replied, "I'll stay out of Hinata's business."

"Suit yourself." Naruto said before a sweat drop runs down his cheek, "It's getting a little hot out here. I'll never understand why Hinata wears a jacket to gym! And why Guy-sensei allows it."

"Like I said, I'm not a part of this."

"Sakura and me are going to find out more. And you'll be sorry that you will be left out."

The gym class ends and Naruto quickly goes to speak with Sakura. No doubt to scheme.

…

After a couple of classes, it was lunch time. Hinata had not been to lunch the prior two days. She had not even glanced at the lunch room. This was her first time in there. She found Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke eating at a table.

"Hey you came today!"

Hinata got her lunch out and then began eating it. She watched them converse not wanting to join in. _Conversation is a beautiful thing. Don't want to stop it by having to write everything. _She observed them. Naruto and Sakura disagreed. Sasuke actually said things although not much. He still for the most part kept to himself.

_How did they get to be friends? Sasuke doesn't really seem like the type to associate himself with them. It should be the opposite. Sasuke doesn't have any other friends than these two. He also doesn't seem to like me very much. Not just the cold treatment that he gives everyone, but he makes it seem like he really hates me. I don't see him as the Ino type of person. There must be a deeper reason for this._

Sasuke notices her staring at him. He gives a glare. Hinata jumps a little bit. She starts fidgeting in her seat. _Now this is just awkward._

"Hinata are you alright?" Sakura says noticing her discomfort. Hinata nods and adds a smile to reassure her.

_Uchiha. Something from that sounds familiar._

…

The surroundings fade away and the noise becomes muffled before eventually everything is quiet. Everything changes to a dining room in a house. It is dark outside with a light rain hitting the windows. There is food on the table and her parents are eating. They are having a conversation.

"How was your first day of school today Hinata?" her dad asks.

"Great, father. I met new people." Hinata replies.

"That's good that you are liking it" her mother adds in.

"You know eventually school is going to become hard work"

"Oh stop it. She's just starting out. Let her enjoy it while she can"

They continue eating until the food is gone. The phone rings. Hinata's father answers. He listens to the other person on the phone for a while before replying "I understand." And then hanging up.

"What is it Hiashi?" her mother asked worryingly. He looked at her, with anger in his eyes.

"Those damn Uchiha"

…

The dining room setting morphs back into the lunch room.

_I remember now. That time my father talked about the Uchiha. That's why the name sounded familiar. _She looks at Naruto and Sakura. _I asked them one time and they changed the subject. They know something._

Lunch ended. The next class was cancelled so they had a free period.

"Hinata we have to go meet with a teacher. We'll meet up with you later" Sakura said. Hinata shrugged and then went to finish some homework. When she was gone Naruto turned towards Sasuke. "We're going to find some investigating. Want to come?"

"No" He responded. He left to go somewhere else.

"Where do we start?" Naruto wondered.

"Let's go and ask Tsunade. She is an experienced doctor. Maybe she can help us find out what caused that tear and Hinata's jacket." Sakura suggested. They went to find Tsunade. She was in her office.

"Hey! Old lady we need your help with something." Naruto yelled. Sakura hit Naruto.

"Naruto! Now she won't help us." Sakura looks at Tsunade, "We need your help for something."

"That's better. What do you need?"

"Here's a picture. Tell us what you think of it" Naruto pulled out a picture of Hinata jacket.

"You stalker. When did you take that?" Sakura exclaimed. Naruto responded "Tell you later." Tsunade looked questioningly at the photograph.

"Well… it looks like a knife did this. What are you -"

"Thanks that's all we need!" Naruto and Sakura interrupted and ran out before she could say anything else.

"One mystery down. She obviously ran into trouble yesterday. Next, the reason for the coat"

"Why don't you just look at her in the locker room?" Naruto asked.

"Well obviously she doesn't take off the jacket there either," Sakura stated, "We need a better plan."

…

After Hinata left Naruto and Sakura to their investigating, she followed Sasuke. He headed towards the library. He sat down and began to do his homework. Hinata sat far enough away that he would not see her.

Sasuke did his homework for almost the entire period.

_This isn't getting me anywhere. _She looked around and saw a computer. _Taking the easy way._

She got on to the computer and searched Uchiha on it. They owned some company called the Sharingan. _Nothing interesting yet. _Then an article from a couple years back caught her eye.

**Uchiha Massacre:**

**In the evening yesterday the owners of the Sharingan company were mysteriously found dead by one of their sons, Uchiha Sasuke, after coming home from school. Suspicion currently on the missing son of the pair, Uchiha Itachi, who Sasuke says he saw for a short moment upon arriving.**

_That's awful. That's probably why he's so grumpy. But that doesn't explain why he hates me in particular._

She looks at the clock. _I'll find more about him later. This period is almost over. _Hinata goes to shut off the computer and an idea hits her. _Let's google my parents for fun and see if they were at all famous! _

She types in her parent's names individually. Her mother does not come up on many searches. Just some pages that metion that she was a doctor. Hinata tries Hyuga Hiashi. There are way more results. She leafs through them and finds an interesting one.

**Konoha. Next heir Hyuga Hiashi will not be taking the position as leader of the Byakugan company. Some cite fear of the current bloody conflict with their rival company. There is question of whether his younger brother, Hyuga Hizashi, will take over.**

_Konoha? We never lived here before. And why hasn't Neji told me that about this Byakugan company?_

Hinata goes back to the search page hungry for answers. She clicked on the next result.

**Hyuga Hizashi was found murdered last night. There are no details out currently and no suspects yet. There also have been no comments from his older brother, who also seems to be missing.**

_Neji is going to have to do some explaining._

_

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That's the end of chapter 6. The next chapter will be up within a week (no I don't have it written already. I just decided that I will try not to take longer than a week to write a chapter). If you have anything you would like to tell me, feel free to pm or review. I read everything and take it to heart.

Thanks for reading this far. Please help me out by reviewing.

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	7. Answers

**Daytime Television: **Thanks for reading this far! I appreciate your comments so far. While the story only has seven reviews, they all are very encouraging, so I'm happy.

Also, sorry I uploaded this chapter twice. Something went wrong with the traffic meter and a day after I posted it, it said that not a single soul visited the story that day. I'm not going to lie, I felt disheartened. I found out that the traffic thing was wrong when thankfully, _GoddessSumizofVenus _posted a review. So I know that at least one person did visit the story, contrary to the stats.

**_

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**Chapter 7: The Answers**

Hinata was walking down the halls after school looking for Neji when Naruto and Sakura walked up to her. Hinata was thinking about the information she gathered from the internet a couple hours prior. It had clogged her mind the rest of school day. She could hardly think about anything else.

"Hinata do you want to go to the pool over the weekend?" Naruto asked.

Hinata shook her head and ran away to find Neji. _No way, not with these scars._

"That's not going to work!" Sakura yelled at Naruto once Hinata was out of earshot, "Don't get her suspicious."

Hinata found Neji. He was at his locker packing his stuff. She did not say –or write- anything to him yet. _I'm going to wait until we get home. If he doesn't want to tell me before, he definitely will not tell me in the school hallway. The car also does not seem like the best place either._

When they got home waited for the right moment to ask. Neji put his things in his room and so did Hinata. She went to the kitchen and waited for Neji to come out of his room. He came to the kitchen to get a snack a few minutes later. Hinata opened her mouth to ask him. She closed it when nothing came out. _Looks like I forgot again. _Then she quickly went to her room and came back with a notebook. She tried to get Neji's attention, who apparently was oblivious to what was happening around him. He finally looked and read what she had written.

**What's the Byakugan? **Neji froze for second and looked up the ceiling. "I don't know what your talking about" _Come on Neji. I analyze conversations all the time because I can't participate in them. Your body language says 'I'm lying'. _Hinata wrote again. **I read some old articles about the Sharingan and some other ones about the Hyuga. I'm going to find out, just want to hear it from you, who apparently won't tell the truth.**

_I don't mean to sound so demanding, but seriously, just tell me._

Neji continued to look at the ceiling for a while. He looked like he was thinking about where to start. _ I can wait. _He looked at Hinata finally and sighed.

"Where do I start?" He said. **Start with our family. "**Alright."

"The Byakugan is a company that was owned by the Hyuga family. The first born son gets to lead it. Your father was next in line to lead it because although Hizashi and Hiashi are twins, Hiashi was born a couple seconds earlier. When it grew time for him to take over, he refused to. I don't know why, but it had something to do with not wanting to be a part of the bloody conflict with the Sharingan company. My father told me that Hiashi wanted to be a doctor and was against bloodshed. Also, he had you, Hinata. You were about 6 at the time. He did not want you to be in danger.

"My father, Hizashi, instead took it over. Hizashi did not want to run the company either, but his father threatened him with huge consequences if he did not. He always favored Haishi, so I guess he let him choose to not run the company. My father had no choice. He continued with the blood shed and it caught up to him. He was murdered. Your father fled the city without anyone knowing, so that they could not find him."

**They?**

"The group of people who were responsible for the murder. The Sharingan. It was all part of the feud between the two rival companies. Your father fled Konoha and moved to the town you have been previously living in.

"I was supposed to take over the company, but I was way too young. So instead it was sold and the money is in a bank account."

**So that's what you live off of.**

"That's right. There's so much money in there that we can live off of it as long as we want." _I can tell your trying to change the subject…._

**Why did you hate me? **Hinata wrote the sentence in a tiny script on the paper. It had the same effect as a quiet and unsure whisper. She felt awkward about asking it, but if she wanted answers, she was going to have to ask it one way or another. There was a silence in the room. Neji was stunned for a second as he remembered. After his minute long thinking, he had a apologetic look on his face.

"Umm….." he was trying to get the words out but he could not. He stopped and then took a breath.

"It's because your father was not forced to take the position. My father had to. He died instead of your father. I always hated that," He breathed out, glad to have that off his chest, "But then I found a letter to me that he had written. I found it just about a week before your recent accident. It told me…" Neji stopped and had a sad look on his face again.

"It told me not to be angry because he could have run away. Instead, he wanted to make his own decision and stayed with the company on his own free will." Neji got up from the table signaling that he was done. He went to his room and shut the door.

_That still doesn't explain why Sasuke hates me. I'm not associated with the Byakugan. Even if his parents run the Sharingan, he really has not reason to dislike me. Neji probably knows, but he's given me enough answers for today. I'll have to get it out of someone else._

…

Naruto and Sakura stayed in the building after school. They were going to go around and find information. They waited in an empty classroom for the teachers to leave. They were not in any after school activity and any teacher would have been suspicious. Jiraya actually came back to the room after leaving for the day because he forgot some papers. He didn't bother turning on the light and the shades were drawn. All Naruto and Sakura could do was sit still and hope that he would not notice them. He walked in and went straight to his desk. He shuffled through some papers and found what he was looking for. Then, he walked out without looking around.

Both of them let out an audible sigh of relief. Then they looked at each other and then at the clock: almost 7 pm. Naruto spoke first, "I think the teachers are gone now. Only Sarutobi-sensei should still be here. But he keeps his office door closed. We just have to be quiet."

They went into the hallway. It was deserted and most of the lights had been turned off. They walked into the office, also empty. Naruto went first as they passed the reception desk. He then continued walking by some offices. When he reached Sarutobi's office, he stopped. The light was still on. Sakura pushed him forward. They continued down the hallway past the office. There was a single door at the end of the hallway. When Naruto pulled on the handle, it was locked.

"Crap! What now?"

"Calm down Naruto, the key has to be some where. Let's check the receptionist desk." Sakura suggested as they started heading back. They opened all the desk drawers. The first few drawers had normal secretary stuff like sticky notes, pens and extra forms. They search and find nothing. They spot a bottom drawer and open it. It had all sorts of keys in it. They grabbed a noticeable one that said 'master' and went back to the locked door. The key works and they step the room.

It was a small, windowless room full of filling cabinets. There is a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. Sakura finds the switch and flips it up. The room lights up. The cabinets are labeled in alphabetical order. They find 'H' and open it.

"I thought they would for sure lock each individual cabinet." Naruto said leafing through the files.

"The room already locked. Guess they did not need more security." Sakura explains.

He finds file labeled 'Hyuga Hinata'. It was a slim file because she had only been a student there for four days. Sakura and him stare at it.

"Go on Naruto open it."

Naruto hesitates. "Here you do it." Sakura has the same reaction.

The room gets silent as both of them think it over. He tries to get himself to open it. Instead, Naruto puts the file back.

"I can't do it. It feels too wrong." Sakura agreed with him, "Let's get out of here before someone finds us." And they head towards the door. They stop as they see who was there watching them the whole time.

"Sarutobi-sensei…" Sakura says fearfully.

"I think you better come to my office and explain." He responded. They followed him and sat down in his office. They were visibly shaking in fear. Sarutobi noticed this.

"Don't worry," He smiled, "Your not going to be in any trouble."

"What?" Naruto asked, "But we snuck in to get secret information!"

"Let me explain," He replied, "The key you found is in that drawer so if someone tried to look for the key that's what they find. When that key is used to open the room, it alerts me. I have the one key that will open the room without a problem. This way, we can catch people in the act."

"But why are we not in trouble?"

"I try to be an understanding person. So, when I catch students going in there, I spy on them. If they look though the records and take something, I expel them. You decided to put the file back, without looking at it. No harm done. Just don't do it again."

Both Naruto and Sakura nodded.

"Now go home and get some rest." They exit the building soon after.

"Naruto, let's not meddle in Hinata's business."

"Yeah."

…

Hinata walked to her room after Neji left. She did not feel like thinking about all that Neji said. It was a little too much to take in. She still had so many more questions. Instead, she finished all of her homework and still had an hour before she usually fell asleep. She got her jacket and found some sewing materials around the house. Hinata looked at the rip. It was about five inches long and opened up about a half an inch. The blade went through and gave her a light wound.

Strangely, she did not feel too much pain when it happened or even after. _My arms have already been damaged so much that the nerves no longer functioning properly. I might have to talk to Tsunade about this. I don't know how bad the cut is. I don't want it getting all nasty and infected._

The jacket was fixed after about twenty minutes of sewing. _This jacket gets annoying. It gets hot and I can't take it off. Thankfully, it's almost fall, so it will get colder. But, I still need to figure something else out in case something happens. They'll probably start getting suspicious with the jacket if I wear it even to gym._

Now finished and unoccupied with anything, she started thinking about what Neji said.

_I understand what he said…That explains the memory of eating in a strange house and the phone call…We lived in Konoha. No wonder it seemed familiar when I got here a couple days ago. I was just too young to remember any details….But that still doesn't explain the whole Sasuke thing. Did he inherit the Sharningan company, and unlike Neji, choose to not sell it_

_He might still believe in the rivalry….No, the real person that he should be mad at is his brother. He killed his parents. Tomorrow I need to talk (more like write) to him and see if I can start a conversation with him. The worst that could happen is that he throws some insults at me…._

_But, why at me? Sasuke definitely glares at me like I killed his parents. It not just a dislike, but a deep down hate. Somehow, I think I'm related to his parents death…_

* * *

That's the end of the seventh chapter. I plan to write the eighth chapter soon (within a week).

Thanks for reading and the thank you to the people who have reviewed. From what they have said, I conclude that the story is at least decent. If your opinion differs, let me know!

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	8. Rock Lee Returns

**Daytime Television: **Thanks for reading this far! As always, all suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Rock Lee Returns**

The next day at school, Hinata went over to Sasuke when she first walked in the door. She handed him a sheet of paper. **Good Morning!**He looked shocked for a second before returning to his usual angry look. He hesitated for a second and then tore the paper in half. Sasuke went back to staring out the window. Outside the sun was getting higher in the sky.

Hinata sat next to Sasuke, but did not write anything else. She was satisfied.

Naruto walked in and sat next to her. He looked guilty from the night before. He almost started to apologize until he remembered that Hinata did not know about his guilty thinking, Naruto noticed that he was just staring at her. Hinata also noticed this. He quickly smiled and said "Hey" and Hinata responded with a shy smile.

When Sakura arrived, she went through a similar reaction. Naruto and Sakura looked at each other and silently agreed not to tell Hinata. _They both seem suspicious…But I can't worry about that know. I've got to find out more about Sasuke. Naruto and Sakura are close friends, all appearances aside. And when I asked them why Sasuke dislikes me, they changed the subject. If I ask them, Sasuke will hear, and he can't know about this…..wait, I can't talk….Alright then, I'll make sure Sasuke does not see the paper. That won't be hard, he already doesn't look me. _

Hinata writes on the notebook with looking suspicious. She makes sure only Naruto and Sakura see it.

**Hey, what's up with Sasuke? I said 'Good Morning' and he ripped the paper in half.**

Naruto looked over at Sasuke clearly angry at finding out of his rudeness. Hinata quickly motioned to Naruto that it was all right and that no harm was done. He seemed serious. It had never occurred to Hinata that Naruto cared about her that much. She had a crush on Naruto, but she saw Naruto chasing after Sakura.

"Oh don't worry about him! He's just like that" Sakura answered Hinata. _I'd believe that if you hadn't already told me that a couple days ago when I asked the same question._

**I know his brother killed his parents. Tell me the truth. **_If asking politely does not work, be blunt about it._

"Can we talk about this later? I promise we'll tell you, but not here." Sakura said. Hinata agreed. _Now we're getting somewhere._

"Alright every one stop talking and pay attention." Jiraya announced, "As you may have noticed, Rock Lee has been absent from school since the start of this school year. He was in accident and has been recovering. But, he's back." He motioned to the door. Everyone was silent, their eyes glued to the door, waiting for Lee to come in.

A bowl hair shaped boy wearing all green walked in. _No doubt he is a close student of Guy-sensei. He probably acts just like him. That's funny, another Guy. _Hinata thought. Everyone was quiet. Hinata realized what everyone else was staring at. Not at the resemblance between Guy and him, but something else. He was using a crutch to walk. He was looking at the ground with a disgraced expression on his face.

_Some deep shame and hurt inside of him…_

He looked up and put on a fake smile and headed towards an empty desk near Hinata and her friends. Naruto broke the silence with a whisper to Sakura.

"What happened to Bushy Brows?"

Lee obviously heard Naruto and slumped down in his chair. Sakura gave Naruto a 'Shut up' look. She went over to Lee.

"Hi Lee, glad to see you back." Sakura asked. Lee instantly sat up.

"Thanks Sakura" He said, with his cheeks slightly red. Naruto comes over.

"Hey Busy Brows, welcome back! Were ya been?"

Sakura gives him a look again and this time says "Naruto! That's so rude!"

"It's okay Sakura," Lee said, "Let's go to class." They got up and headed to the next class.

_No one else talked to him. It seems like he didn't have many friends. Oh well. We can be friends I hope._

Hinata noticed how he walked.

_Looks like his left arm and leg are what's injured. Kind of like me..._

Lee noticed Hinata looking at him. He looked back equally intrigued.

"Oh! I forgot. This is Hinata, she is new." Sakura told Lee.

"Nice to meet you Hinata-chan," He said. Hinata smiled back at him. She took out the scrap of paper that she had given to Sasuke that morning. The two haves were taped back together. **Good Morning!. **Hinata grabbed another piece of paper from her bag. It read **Nice to meet you. **_What a good idea I had this morning, so I don't have to always use the notebook. Pre-made notes! I only had time to make a few this morning (the most important ones), but I'm glad they've been useful already!_

_I also hope his reaction is better than Sasuke's. _

Lee stared at it questioningly and then smiled back at her. He wanted to ask the reason for the paper, but he knew that he did not like other people asking about him, so he let it drop. Hinata sensed his question, and Naruto and Sakura did also. Sakura opened her mouth to speak, "Hinata is…." She stopped once she noticed Hinata reaching in her bag for more paper. She was curious about these pre-made papers.

Hinata leafed through some scraps of papers in her bag. There were about 15 little pieces of paper mixed in with her books. _I'm going to have to be more organized. _She found the one she wanted and then showed it to Lee.

**I'm mute.**

Lee looked at it and nodded his head, "Good idea, having pre-set sentences written down!" Hinata silently chuckled and then pulled out her notebook and wrote in it.

**Only good for cliché conversation. I still have to write stuff here though.**

All three of them laughed. They got to the classroom and Kakashi welcomed Lee back and the class went on. Ino walked in late. Hinata held her breath in an effort to stay invisible. Well, Ino saw her anyways. But, she also saw Lee. Ino looked at Lee with a 'Have you been at school? It seems I haven't seen you in forever' expression. Hinata could not tell if Ino and Lee were friends, enemies, or neither.

_At least it took her mind off me!_

The class passed quickly after that.

They walked out of the classroom and Ino came up behind Lee.

"So you're a cripple now?" _That solves the mystery. "_And you're having a little party with mute over there_." Pointing at me. What an evil person._

Those words clearly hurt him. Sakura went over to Ino and pushed her to the floor. Ino got up and tried to punch Sakura back. Lee got in the way of the punch to protect Sakura. He fell down after he lost his balance, but quickly got back up again.

"I will not let my friends get hurt" Lee told Ino. Ino hit him again and he fell only to get back up again.

Sakura was furious. She lunged at Ino was went to hit her. Sakura dodged it and punched Ino. This time Ino was furious and tackled Sakura on to the floor. They rolled around on the ground scratching and pulling each other's hair.

Lee was surprised at Sakura's actions. Last year she had barely noticed him and all his attempts to woo her.

Naruto tried to stop the fight but he was mostly unsuccessful. There were some other students watching and some enjoying it; they wouldn't help stop it. Meanwhile, Hinata was horrified. She felt helpless and angry that she could not do anything. By now Sakura and Ino had drawn blood and it looked like it was going to get worse.

Hinata opened her mouth to try to scream. A sharp stabbing pain ripped through her neck. Only a small sound came out.

Tsunade happened to walk by and with her strength quickly pulled the two apart.

"What's going on here!" She yelled.

"Ino was bullying Lee and Hinata!" Sakura yelled, to which Ino responded "No! She just attacked me!"

Tsunade looked angry and then said, "It doesn't matter who started the fight. Both of you were fighting and both of you are going to be in big trouble."

"No please it's just a misunderstanding Tsunade-sensei! It's not their fault. Don't punish them. And if I'm wrong, then I'll do 500 laps around the field!" Lee exclaimed.

Tsunade's angry look faded away. _Still the splitting image of Guy. Even what he's been through hasn't changed that. _Tsunade thought.

"Alright then… I won't report this. Come to my office and clean yourselves up."

They walked to her office. Only Lee noticed blood coming from Hinata's mouth. She was trying to hide it, but Lee knew she was in pain. He was watching the fight, when he heard her trying to yell.

In the nurse's office, Sakura and Ino cleaned the small cuts they had and went on their way. Before they left Tsunade warned them about fighting again. The rest of them went to leave.

"Hold on. Hinata stay here." Tsunade said, "The rest of you go." Lee looked back at her relieved that she had also noticed Hinata was bleeding. When everyone left, Tsunade looked through a medical cabinet and got out a bottle and some paper towels.

"Clean off the blood with the paper towels."

Hinata nodded and followed the instructions.

"Your not supposed to try to talk. All you will do is hurt your self even more."

Hinata nodded before passing out because of the pain.

…

When she woke up the room was grey. She was on one of the beds in the nurse's office. At first Hinata thought that it was nightime and that she had been in out all day. Once she looked out of the window, she saw that it was still bright outside and calmed down. Tsunade was in the room also typing away on a computer. She heard Hinata get up, and walked towards her.

"Your throat is better now. While you were out I put some medicine down your throat."

_She forced in my mouth? That's scary, but at least it doesn't hurt anymore._

"I also took the liberty to take a look at the cut you had on your arm. First, let me ask just how you got it and don't lie to me."

Hinata realized that her jacket was not on. Her arm was bandaged. How could she have known? She fixed the tear in the jacket.

"Don't worry. The other day some of your friends came in wondering about the cut in your jacket was. I had to check it out because the cut looked deep. Now, tell me,"

Not having any paper to write on, she mouthed "Knife by some Atatsuki guy"

Tsunade looked a little surprised. "Well your lucky to get away. They usually go for the kill. Try to stay away from them."

"The cut was getting infected. You should have come to me. You obviously can't treat wounds. Now go off to lunch it's starting now. You only missed a few classes."

Hinata said good-bye and went to her locker to get her food. She met up with Sakura and Naruto in the hallway.

"Where have you been? We haven't seen you since this morning!" Sakura asked.

Hinata pulled out a paper from her bag. **Don't worry. **She made it seem like she did not have her notebook. That way, they would not ask more probing questions.

In the lunchroom, they found an empty table. Like always, only Kiba sat with them. They saw Lee come in. He bought lunch from the school and was having trouble carrying it and walking at the same time. Sakura went over to him and helped. Once at the table, he saw Hinata.

"Nee-chan! Your alright! When I saw you bleeding I thought you were seriously hurt!" Lee said. Everyone else looked at Hinata.

"You were bleeding?" they said in unison. _Oh no. Cornered. I didn't know Lee saw that. _Hinata nodded.

"When?"

Lee answered for her, "When Ino and you were fighting it looked like she was going to yell something. Then, after Tsunade came, I saw that she had blood coming from her mouth."

They looked concerned. _Well, I don't want them to worry… _She took her notebook.

**I'm not supposed to try to talk. If I try to talk my throat starts doing that. And I've been gone because I passed out because of the pain.**

"Oh." Naruto said, "How did you become mute?"

"Naruto! Didn't we already go over this last night" Sakura said. _Last night?_

"I've actually been wondering that too…" Kiba said, finally letting his curiosity get the best of him. _No, Kiba! Don't encourage him! Now I'll just look weird if I don't tell them. I don't want to talk about it though…_

"Hey Hinata! I see you've met one of my most youthful student!" Guy's voice boomed behind her, "Lee and Hinata come with me. We need to discuss somethings!"

Hinata breathed out in relief. _Thank god Guy for getting me out of an uncomfortable situation._

Once they left the lunch room, Guy led them to the field outside.

"Good! You've already met! You two have more in common than you know!"

* * *

That's the end of chapter 8! Thanks for reading. Don't forget to review (I'm starting to get annoying arn't I). Reviews are just infinitely better than traffic stats.

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	9. The Afternoon

**Daytime Television: **Hello! Sorry I took a week to update. It's been killing me to write this chapter. Have you guys ever felt like you just could not write anymore after good reviews? I mean, I don't want to screw up the story if people like it. I kind of had to force myself to get over it and just write and not look back.

And to _Liz, _who submitted a review, you have great suggestions. I thought about your suggestions for a while and then went to click the 'message' button to ask you some clarification questions, but, I failed to notice that it was an anonymous review. Well, I'll try to interpret your suggestions as best I can.

If there are errors that need to be fixed be sure to tell me. Also, plot suggestions are highly wanted. I know what I want accomplished by the end of the story, but I have trouble thinking about single events that could combine and accomplish the goal.

* * *

**Chapter 9: The Afternoon**

"Good! You've already met! You two have more in common than you know"

_What? I think Lee is more like you Guy. Hairstyle, clothes and soul. He's the splitting image of you._

They followed Guy through the halls to the gym. Guy paused when they got there, "Hmmm. Let's go outside instead, it's such a beautiful day." Then they exited the gym to the field. "Alright take a seat here," Guy said when they reached a patch of soft grass in the field. They sat down and waited for Guy to elaborate. Guy thought about that morning.

…

[That morning]

"Hey Guy come over here. I need to talk to you" Tsunade yelled through the hallways. Guy heard her from his office and went to Tsunade's office. The lights were out and the natural light from outside made the room glow dully.

"Ah, you came. I need to discuss something with you. You see Hinata over there" She said pointing to Hinata sleeping on one of the beds. Guy looked in the direction of Hinata. He didn't see her when he walked in because the lights had not been on.

"HINATA-CHAN! How are you!" Guy yelled to her.

Tsunade went over and hit Guy, "Shut up, she's sleeping." Guy apologized and then asked, "When she missed my gym class I was a little worried. What happened to her"

"There was a fight in the hallways"

"What? Tell me the name of the students that hurt her and I'll deal with them!"

"No Guy, not like that. She just tired to yell for them to stop and hurt her throat. What you might like to know though is that it involved Ino — Guy wasn't surprised to hear that name — Sakura, and Lee." Guy was surprised at hearing Lee's name.

"I heard what led up to the fight. I swear you could hear there argument throughout the whole school. Ino just being Ino and making fun of his disability. No doubt Lee is very ashamed of himself, being the school's best athlete. I think Lee and Hinata need to meet and at least know that they are in similar situations. Lee needs it."

"Great idea!" Guy said, "And is she going to be alright?"

"Don't worry. She just needs to rest a bit and then she'll be fine."

…

"You're probably wondering why I brought you out here. Well like I said, you have something in common and I want you two to be aware of that. That way you can understand each other. First, both of you have privilege of being MY MOST DEAR STUDENTS!" Guy started out in a whisper, but yelled the last part.

_Based on the way you both are dressed, I'm not surprised that Lee is your most dear student. _Hinata thought looked at Lee and Guy next to each other.

"Lee, I met Hinata-chan a little over a month ago. She was in the hospital and I trained her and helped her recover.

"Hinata, I have known Lee for a while now. He was struggling in school and was lacking in physical ability. I helped him get better at both of those things.

Hinata gave Guy a questionable look. He sensed what she wanted to know.

"And no, Lee wasn't injured when I first met him. Lee was in accident a little over a month ago, just like you. But before we go on, are you both comfortable sharing what happened to each of you.

They both nodded.

"Lee, while it may not look like it, Hinata also was in an accident. No, she was already mute. She can't use her arms a lot." Guy explained. Hinata looked at Lee.

_Well, if he's going to know. _She took off her jacket revealing her bandaged arm and al the scars on her arms. Lee looked like he understood. Guy got close to Lee and whispered in his ear.

"Why don't you tell more Hinata?" Guy said, "Lee actually knows sign language."

_Seriously? That's great! One more person (for a total of 2) that I can speak to. _Hinata silently chuckles in her mind. She starts signing to him.

'It was a car accident about a month ago. My parents didn't make it though.'

Lee looked shocked, "I'm sorry I didn't know.."

Hinata cut him off with a smile, 'It's alright, don't worry'

"I've been feeling depressed and sorry for myself and I shouldn't be" Lee said.

'So what happened you?'

"My and this other guy were fighting in a martial arts tournament in a different town and he lost. After I left he got drunk and followed me. Once the cars were moving fast, he tried to run me off the road. Good thing there was a hospital near by."

'Where did this happen?'

"In this town about an hour from here. It was the only hospital for miles"

'Hey! That's where I used to live. I wish I went to see the tournament. I never really got out of the house, so I didn't know it was occurring. What happened to the guy who got drunk?'

"His name is Gaara. He used to be a student here, but he got expelled because of that. No one knows where he went."

Guy watched the two have a conversation looking satisfied. The peaceful scene with a slight breeze was interrupted by the sounds of talking and steps coming from the school.

"Lunch's over. You two should get going."

Lee got up, picked up his crutch and headed towards the school.

Hinata signed to Guy, 'It worked, what you were doing'

"Yep. Lee is proud of the hard work that it took for him to become one of the schools best athletes and student. He feels like it's been stripped from him, like he's been knocked back to the bottom again. I think after this, he feel much better. Thanks."

'No problem'

They start walking back to the school. The sun moved from its overhead position slightly west. Lee was already inside and heading for class. Then, a question hit Hinata. She hadn't really thought about it much, she just kind of assumed.

'Does any one else in the school know sign language?'

Guy thought for a second mentally going through the student population. He shakes his head still trying to find even a single other person, "Nope, I don't think so."

When the enter the school, Hinata heads to her next class.

…

After the class, she had a free period. Since she missed a few other classes, she went to the teachers to find out what she had missed. Then, she headed towards the library. She found Kiba sitting at a table.

"Hey, I haven't seen you for a while" He said as she sat down across from him. They worked silently for a while. She noticed Kiba was trying to say something. Every once in a while he would look at her and think about something, but then just as quick he would dismiss whatever idea he had. Finally as they were about to leave, he got enough courage to ask.

"Hey Hinata…." His voice trailed off, "Can I ask you a question." _Finally you ask. I a feeling I know what the question is going to be. _"Umm…How did you lose your voice?" Although Kiba did not want part in with Naruto and Sakura's investigation, he still was curious. He thought asking her straight up was better than sneaking around.

_I actually have a great idea for this._

Hinata got up and gestured for him to follow. She put her books in her bag and then went to her locker. The halls were still empty because the period had not ended yet. After she finished putting everything away, she walked down the hall and turned the corner. Lee was at his locker and Naruto and Sakura were also near by at their lockers. Hinata walked up to Lee and he looked at her. She started signing to him. She told him how she became mute, and told him to tell the others. At the end she also added for him not to say anything about her recent accident.

"What are you guys doing?" Naruto says puzzled.

"Naruto! That's obviously sign language!" Sakura yelled embarrassing Naruto, "I knew that!..."

"By the way, Hinata, I didn't know you knew sign language, and you too Lee!" Sakura said again ignoring Naruto.

"I have a relative that is deaf, so I learned a while ago." Lee answered, "And as for Hinata, I'm guessing that because no one else in the school except Guy-sensei and me know, she doesn't use it. Right?" Hinata nodded in agreement.

"What did she tell you?" Naruto asked.

"Kiba asked her why she can't talk, and she wanted you to know, since you two seem to really want to know," Lee said, "And it would be much faster and less tedious for me to tell you."

It took a couple minutes for Lee to tell them. Every once in a while, Hianta would tell Lee to add some things in.

"Um… Thanks for telling us, we have been wanting to know for a while…" Naurto told Hinata, stopping short of telling her about his recent adventure.

"Yeah" Sakura added.

There was an awkward silence for a little while. A light tapping could be heard through the halls getting farther away from them. If there was not silence at that moment, they might have noticed them. Whomever the steps belonged to, they were obviously trying to be silent and quick at the same time.

"Someone was listening and watching us," Sakura said running toward the corner. The steps were by now in another part of the school. "Who was that" Sakura wonders and turns back.

…

Ino quickly ran from the corner after the group stopped talking. She tried to be as quiet as possible, while still being hasty. She was there for their entire conversation, smiling with every word. Ino was in a different room in the school and had to get a drink of water. Walking through the empty hallways, she heard Lee voice echoing. While running away, she heard someone running after her, so she cut into an empty room. Ino looks through the glass in the door to the classroom. People are getting out class and slowly filling the hallway.

"God Damit! That freak hiding in her group. When I find her alone…."

…

Sakura heads back to the group, "Who ever they were, they are gone now."

"Let's not worry about it then," Kiba said, "It's probably nothing." They all agreed.

"Hey, do you guys want to go to a fireworks show and fair tonight?" Naruto said, "It'll be fun!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that! Let's go after school," Kiba said. With that, they go to class.

"You guys go, I'm busy with somethings after school," Lee said.

"Are you sure? What're you doing after school, Bushy Brows?" Naruto asked.

"Just some stuff…."

Hinata stepped in and asked for Sasuke, allowing Lee to not have his privacy invaded.

"Oh yeah, I'll tell Sasuke to come. He's probably somewere in a dark room staring at a wall," Naruto said laughing.

…

[School Ends] Hinata gets her stuff after the last class and goes with Sakura who is waiting for her in the hall. They walk until they get to Neji's locker. He's flirting with some girl. She had dark hair about the same color of Neji's.

"Hey Hinata, meet my girl friend Ten-Ten, " Neji says when he notices the two girls standing there. Hinata bows.

"Hello Hianta-chan, Neji's told me about you," She replies.

"Neji-san, Hinata is going with me to the fair," Sakura told him. He thinks about how she got lost the other day and then responds,

"Well…I guess she'll be alright as long as she's not alone..."

"Don't worry, we won't leave her," Sakura says.

"We? Who else is going?" Neji ask curiously.

"Um.. You know…" Sakura hesitated, "Naruto, Kiba …and Sasuke"

Neji looked surprised and concerned, "What? Him?"

"Yeah… Don't worry, it's fine!" Sakura grabbed Hinata's hand and they ran away.

"No wait!" Neji said, but then decided to let it go.

Hinata thought about what just happened, _It seems like Neji knows something about Sasuke…I'll find out later after this thing we're going to._

They walk out of the school and down the street to Hinata's house. They went to drop of her stuff and then to Sakura's house. She lived in a near by neighborhood. Her house was slightly larger than Hinata's and her mom was home. She went to her neat and organized room and left her stuff on her bed. After that, she told her mother that she would be back in a couple of hours. And with a good-bye, they left her house and headed down the street.

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That's chapter nine. Thanks for reading this far!

Like I said at the top, I'm struggling to create events. The whole fireworks thing/ fair, I got because of fourth of July. I was walking around town with some friends and I was thinking about this story, so I decided that, that would be the next event that happens.

In addition, I still do not like taking more than a week to update (it is summer). This one was cutting a close. I have gone to a couple of previous chapters and skimmed for errors in formatting. I want to finish up that, and then move on to more intense probing of the chapters.

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	10. Exploding Fireworks: Part One

**Daytime Television: **Thanks for reading this far! Double digits for my first story! Don't forget, I'm always looking for suggestions and ideas.

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**Chapter 10: Exploding Fireworks**

Sakura and Hinata walked through Konoha. From Sakura's house, they headed down the street away from the direction of the school. The houses on Sakura's street looked just about the same as the one's on Hinata's street. They turn to another street and the familiar ramen comes into view. Naruto is there eating ramen. They walk up behind him, empty plates surrounding him.

"Naruto! Is that all you ever eat? Get addicted to something that actually has nutrients!" Sakura said. Naruto gulps up all the remainding ramen.

"Actually, this ramen is good for you. It's instant ramen that doesn't have any nutrients (It's still as delicious though)," Naruto answered.

"How would you know?"

"I'm a ramen expert!" Naruto yelled.

"Alright then. Now that your full, you won't be able to eat the other foods at the fair we're going to," Sakura smirked. Naruto shook his head.

"Nope. See? -points to plates- Only five plates of ramen. I was just getting warmed up! Theres plenty of space!" Naruto says revealing his stomach and yells at him.

Hinata watched the two fight. _We should really get to the fair…. But, I can't say anything since I didn't bring paper and neither of them understand sign language…_She turned her head to look at the surrounding city to wait for Naruto and Sakura to finish their quarrel. The sun's light dully shone around the buildings. The sun had been setting already for a while. Soon, it would be completely dark. Not like that was a problem. The light from the surrounding buildings was enough to ward the darkness of the night. A little farther ahead, Hinata could see a large amount of artificial light. That was, no doubt, the fair that they were going to.

"Hey Hinata?" Naruto said waving her hand in front of her face, "Wake up…. Were ready to go." She snapped out of her gaze and followed them.

They continued down the street like they had previously been doing with Naruto also. Soon they reached the enterance area. As they entered the fair, Hinata noticed a figure run out of an alley and then duck behind a group of people. It was moving too fast for her to get a clear picture of the person.

"How'd you like it so far?" Sakrua asked. Hianta smiled at her. _I also heard you saying that's there's going to be fireworks. That's sounds fun!_

They navigated through a seemingly endless maze of booths selling food and merchandise.

"Alright where do you think Kiba is?" Sakura asked stopping to look at a jewelry stand.

"Who cares about him? He's probably around here. Let's leave him wherever he is. He can find us." Naruto responded. Sakura turned to Hinata,

"Well I bet you want to find Kiba…Don't you," Sakura nudged Hinata hinting at possible love. Hinata blushed a little bit…_I-I mean.. I don't think so… I've never thought about anything like that..._

"Come on! See! There's rides over there! At least look around while we head over there"

"Fine"

_It works out at least._

They walked over to the rides and still no sign of Kiba. The area was full of carnival rides.

"Which one?" Naruto asked.

"Let Hinata choose since this is her first time," Sakura said. Hinata looks around at several rides; one goes upside down, _definitely no: _one spins around really quick, _no again: _another one goes upside down and spins, _Never in my life: _And a Farris wheel, _Better than nothing. _She points to the farris wheel.

"Fine! But after I'm going to do a fun one," Naruto said disappointed in her choice.

The farris wheel was fairly large and this was Hinata's first time on one. She was visible scared for a couple of seconds, but then got used to it. The whole city could be seen from the height. Hinata looked for her house amongt the mass of buildings, but was unable to locate it. At the edge of the city, the lights stopped and the forest started. Hianta made a mental note to go and explore the forest. She then turned to the fair below. Groups of people were walking in every direction, some simply enjoying the evening, others stopping at every vendor.

Hinata could pick out invidual families versus groups of friends. One of them though seemed a little odd. The group of people was off to the side, away from the commotion. Against the backdrop of bright light, this group's dark clothing stuck out like a smudge on a piece of paper. She leaned over the edge of the farris wheel to get a better look.

_What are they wearing… It looks like black robes with red stuff on them…Oh….Those are clouds. Crap…That's them from the other day. Akatsuki. I got to get out of here as soon as possible before they notice me._

"Whatcha looking at?" Naruto said in Hinata's ear causing her to almost jump out. Hinata shook her head furiously. _He can't know about that! _Naruto leaned over to look at what Hianta was previously staring at. Hinata panicked and quickly pointed randomly to another location. Naruto eyes followed her finger.

"Hey! Nice job! There's Kiba. See? Sitting right there and eating with that weird kid Shino. No worries. I told you!"

_What a relief and good luck!_

The ride ended and Naruto rushed throught the crowd to Kiba. Sakura dashed after him. Leaving Hinata alone.

_Wait! This is a bad time to get lost…. _She ran after them. A couple seconds later she stopped completely lost. There were so many people around each of them moving around her. All this noise was starting to give Hinata a headache. She didn't know where to go anymore. They could have gone anywhere.

"WHAT?" Hinata heard Kiba yell. She ran after where she heard the yell. Sure enough Kiba, Naruto, Sakura, and Shino were standing around in a circle. Hinata rushed over to them. They turned their heads when they noticed her.

"Your safe!" Kiba yelled again, not as loud as before, walking towards her, "Are you alright?."

She looked a little terrified, but glad that she found them. Naruto and Sakura looked like they were having a heart attack.

"These idoits left you alone!" Kiba said again, "They run over and find me and start talking. And I ask them where you are, and they notice that they left you behind!"

"Umm. Hinata? How'd you find us?" Naruto asked a little ashamed. She pointed to Kiba, specifically his mouth.

"Don't be irresponsible," Shino said. Sakura and Naruto visibly depressed at having even Shino be angry at them.

"So… What have you been doing? We were looking for you" Sakura asked changing the subject.

"Nothing much, just hanging out with Shino here, and Akamaru," Kiba replied. He pulled out a wad of cash, "Here Hianta take some." Hinata refused. She broght some money herself and didn't want to feel like she was free loading.

"Hey don't worry about it. Watch!" Kiba said grabbingn Akamaru off his head and putting him on the ground. Akamaru sat down and waited for something. Soon a group of girls walked over and started saying how cute he was. "Now for the main event!" Kiba casually walked behind them. Like a master pick pocket, he quickly opened their purses, which had been left on the floor while they petted Akamaru, and grabbed some bills.

The group of girls left without any suspicion.

"What! I would expect something like that from Naruto!" Sakura said, "There's no way Hinata would take up your offer now!"

_Probably not… but I was thinking about it._

"I'll take some Kiba!" Naruto said eagerly thinking about all the ramen he could buy.

"No you don't!" Sakura yelled and hit Naruto.

They started buy some food and sit down at an empty picnic table.

"Didn't you say that Sasuke was coming too? I know he's all emo and stuff, but hey, even Shino's here" Kiba said obviously annoying Shino.

"Yeah, I told him to come. He said he'd meet us when we got here. He's probably somewhere around here. Let's look for him!" Naruto exclaimed. They all got up from the table except Hinata who tugged at Sakura.

"What is it Hianta?"

Hinata mouthed the word 'leave' and 'sick'.

"Nonsense! We just got here!" Naruto said pulling Hianta up and forcing her on his hunt for Sasuke.

_I seriously have to go. Akatsuki wants to kill me….But I don't know the way out of this mess._

They walked around the place for a little while and still no sign of Sasuke. Hinata was worrying, no about Sasuke, but about Akatsuki finding her. They had been there for a couple hours now, and no doubt Hinata would be found. Akatsuki was probably looking for her.

"Alright! Sasuke obviously didn't come! Let's stop looking!" Kiba said tired from the hunt, "Let's go on a ride or something. I came here to have fun, not be in a search party"

"Hinata choose one!"

_I just want to leave before anything bad can happen… _She points behind not even looking to see what she had pointed too. _I don't really care._

They look behind her.

"Hey! It's Sasuke! Nice job, Hinata, you found him!" Sakura said. Sasuke was a little ways away staring at them. He saw them all turn around and look straight at him. He got up and quickly ran out of their sight.

"Wait! Come back!" Sakura yelled running after him along with Kiba, Shino, and Naruto.

Hinata didn't have a chance to react. She pointed behind herself and suddenly she was alone. By the time she turned around, they were all gone.

_Oh no! Not again!_

She looked around.

_They went down that way but it just turns into many possible paths._

Hinata started walking in the direction that she thought they would be at. This time, they probably wouldn't notice so soon that they left her behind because they were so focused on catching Sasuke, who obviously did not want to be caught.

…

Naruto ran for Sasuke. They locked eyes for a second and Naruto could see that Sasuke didn't want them to know he was there. He saw him sprint left on to another path. Naruto heard the rest of his friends chase after him also. Once he made the same turn, Naruto moved his eyes back and forth scanning the area. Sasuke was even farther way now. He was much faster than Naruto. Sasuke moved swiftly through the crowd, while Naruto bumped and shoved his way through. Each time Naruto ran around a corner, Sasuke was farther away, until finally he was nowhere in sight. Naruto scanned the area again looking for Sasuke's blue shirt. Sakura and the rest of the group caught up to them gasping for air.

"There!" Naruto suddenly yells and runs to where he pointed. Naruto grabbed the shoulder of the supposed Sasuke and he turns around. It was some random person.

"What? Who are you?" Naruto yelled scaring the kid.

"W-What do you want? I didn't do anything" the boy said.

"Where did you get this?" Naruto says grabbing the shirt that looks like Sasuke's.

"Some guy ran over and told me to wear it…"

Naruto goes back to the group disappointed.

"So he was trying to give us the slip! He was probably spying on us too!" Sakura said after Naruto told her what had happened.

"Yeah! It's a good thing Hinata spotted him!" Kiba added, and then everyone stopped and looked amongst them selves realizing what they had done.

Nearby, a shadowy figure watched them as he caught his breath.

"This might end of working in my favor," he says smiling. After he couple of seconds, he disappears from the scene.

…

Hinata didn't know where to go. She decided to go to the visble farris wheel. All she had to do was find where they entered the fair and she could probably remember the way home.

While walking, she noticed that a shadowy figure was following her. Everytime she would stop, the steps she heard also stopped. As soon as she turned around to see who it was, the person promptly blended in with the other people.

Hinata could not scream for help. She could get someone's attention and somehow tell them that she needs to get out of there, but then the follower would disappear. Hinata was curious about who it was and of their motives.

_Akatsuki can't hurt me here. There's too many people. It can't be them, they work away from people. If I face the person after me, he won't be able to hurt me._

The steps got closer and closer to her and then they stopped. Hinata kept walking and she found the entrance to the fair. She would be able to get home from here. At that moment, fire works shot up into the air. Everyone looked up to see them and they exploded with a large bang. As Hinata looked up, a hand grabbed her and pulled her aside into a dark and empty tent. She looked up at the assailant. The light from the fireworks outlined his dark clothes blended in with the surroundings and his eyes were fierce and angry.

_Sasuke?_

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That's chapter 10! It took me a week to write it, which is my current update 'schedule'. I want to update more, but, even though it's summer and no school, I'm really busy during the week. Most of the writing is written on weekends. Thanks for reading.

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	11. Exploding Fireworks: Part Two

**Daytime Television: **Here's chapter 11. If there is any way I could improve it, go ahead and tell me and plot suggestions are appreciated also. I don't have the story already written, or planned out in some outline. I don't know where the plot is going to end up, just some stuff that will happen by the end.

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**Chapter 11: Exploding Fireworks: Part 2**

Sasuke looked at Hinata with cold and distant eyes. His shadowy outline was exaggerated by the periodic flashes of light outside caused by the fireworks. All Hinata could do was stare back and wait for his next action. If she tried to run, she would easily be caught by Sasuke again. The pause ended as Sasuke grabbed Hinata again and forced her out of the tent through another opening than the one that they had entered through.

They continued through the maze of people looking at the explosions in the sky. They reached another tent after a couple minutes of navigating through the maze.

_Now there is no way I can escape. He purposely is getting me lost._

Sasuke waits again for a break in the loud booms. He pulls out a piece of paper and hands it to her, and whispers in her ear,

"Follow these directions…exactly… If you don't…." Sasuke doesn't finish the sentence, and instead gives her a death glare, "I'll be watching." He signals her to go and she exits and looks down at the paper.

'_Look over at the Farris wheel and go to it.' Alright. Done. 'Now turn 45 degrees to your right, and you should see a large tree in the distance. Follow that until you reach a wire fence.' _

Hinata walks across the area until the stands end and she reaches a fence. Somehow, there was an eerie silence under the bangs of the fireworks. There were no people around her.

'_Start walking around going clockwise following the fence and the perimeter of the fair'_

She followed the instructions and walked all the way around the fair in about fifteen minutes.

_Why does he want me to do this? What's he planning? _Hinata thinks as she comes back to where she started.

'_Keep on going. If you see any suspicious activity run and find the nearest bathroom building.'_

_Suspicious activity? What am I? A cop?_

Hinata started walking again and then saw a group of people gathered around near the fence. Their faces all turn to see who approached them.

_Akatsuki! Alright, that counts as suspicious activity! _

Hinata turned and ran into the fair. She saw a bathroom building near by when she passed this area previously while circling around.

…

"That's her" Sasori said, "The one that escaped."

"That girl gave you guys trouble?" The one with many piercings said.

"Hey! She surprised us" Hidan said, "Let me go after her. I can't let her live, it's against my religion."

"No. I cut her, I'm going," Sasori said.

"Hey Itachi, don't you want to go? I thought you'd jump at the chance to kill her, especially considering who she is…" Kisame suggested.

"No. I'm fine…" Itachi responded. Sasori ran after Hinata.

…

Hinata ran into the restroom just as Sasuke told her too. Even through it was the girls' restroom, he was waiting for her there.

"Did someone follow you?" Sasuke asked calmly, but with a trace of anxiety in his voice. Hinata nodded, and Sasuke let out a quiet laugh. "Don't do anything. I'm not here to deal with you tonight…You're my bait tonight. I know Akatsuki wants you…You're a Hyuga. THat's why I had you walking around the whole place. I knew that they like to hang out on the outskirts of the fair and seeing you, I knew that they'd follow you."

_He seems a little insane.._

At that moment Sasori burst through the door. Sasuke was waiting next to the door and blocked it with a plank locking the three of them in the restroom.

"I was hoping for Itachi… But close enough" Sasuke said with a crazed look on his face, "Your going to tell me about Akatsuki…"

"Well. Looks like this was planned. But both of you are going to die," Sasori said holding a large knife. Sasuke picked up a pipe one the floor. Hinata stayed as quiet as possible, since both of them could hurt her. Sasuke lunged at Sasori who rasied his knife. The two objects hit with a loud clank. Sasori was stronger than he looked. The two of them back up waiting for each other's next move. Again Sasuke ran towards him and quickly tried to hit him with the pipe. Unfortunately Sasori blocked every single one of his attacks.

Now it was Sasori's turn to make a move. Just as Sasuke went for another strike, Sasori dodged, instead of blocking, and stuck his knife in Sasuke's side. Then, just as quickly he slashed at his leg.

"We don't want you running away…"

He continued to slash at him, purposely only causing flesh wounds. He seemed to enjoy this.

After a couple minutes Sasuke lay in a bloody mess. His eyes still had determination and drive, even though he had failed to land a single blow to his opponent.

_Okay, I think helping Sasuke right now would be better.._

Hinata gathered her courage and quietly snuck behind Sasori. He turned around.

"I see you doing that. I think it's time I finish up what I started a couple days ago." Sasori left Sasuke and went for Hinata. Hinata took off her jacket so that it wouldn't get ripped. With no weapon, all she could do was dodge. Even that was not enough, she still received some slashes from the knife.

"Time to die." Sasori said. He walked over to Hinata, just as he lifted his knife in the air, Sasuke slammed the metal pipe as hard as he could into Sasori's head, knocking him down. Then, Sasuke limped over to him and hit him more until he was sure that he wasn't getting up. He turned over to Hinata, and like always he glared at her with anger and then left the restroom.

Hinata cleaned up her wounds and made sure that they were not visble. The cuts were still bleeding, but Hinata didn't think it was enough to be life threatening. Sasuke sustained much worse wounds than her, and he would be the one in trouble if he did not seek help soon. Hinata grabbed some paper towels and used them like bandages to cover the wounds. Then she put on her jacket and turned to exit the small building. Hinata wanted to just leave Sasori there, but she could not. Instead she pulled the fire alarm, and left, confident that someone would find him.

Outside there were still people enjoying the night. The fire works were over, but really no one had left yet. The sound of the fire alarm caught the attention of many people who rushed over to see what was wrong. Hinata stayed near by, hoping to see one of her friends. Sure enough, the group appears with looks of worry on their face. Hinata runs over to them.

"Hinata! We've been looking all over for you!" Kiba said, "Sorry we lost you again."

"Yeah. Sorry about that," Naruto said, "But we didn't find Sasuke either, if you wanted to know."

"Who cares about Sasuke right now? We found you safe and sound Hinata!" Sakura said, clearly still thinking about Sasuke.

"Are you alright, did anything happen?" Kiba asks. Hinata shakes her head.

_At least they didn't notice the cuts. I'm glad I took off the jacket, before he cut me. The cuts went completely undetected._

"Alright, well, we spent the last half and hour looking for you. What were you doing? We were looking all over. We didn't even stop to enjoy the fireworks. Did you like run all over the entire fair or something," Kiba asked.

_Technically yes, I did actually. _Hinata shrugged.

"Well that's good that nothing happened. We heard the fire alarm and got more worried."

Hinata got dizzy all of a sudden. She had forgotten about that the wounds were still bleeding. It was not enough to make her faint, but enough to make her fall to the floor.

"Hinata are you alright?," Sakura asked helping her up. Hinata gave her a reassuring glance and struggled to fight off the feeling. Thankfully, they turned their attention the restroom.

They watched as the some people who arrived at the scene took out Sasori out of the rest room.

"Holy cow! What happened to him?" Naruto asked staring at Sasori's bleeding head.

"Not that! Look at what he's wearing," Sakura said, "He's Akatsuki! And by the looks of it, that's Sasori of the Red Sand. He's a cold, blooded murder, what's he doing here?"

"Well looks like he won't be bothering anyone for a while!" Naruto said.

"Don't speak so soon," Shino said after being quiet during their whole conversation. Two Akatsuki members sneaked in to the circle of people surrounding an unconscious Sasori. They both had tan hats that covered their faces almost completely with strips of fabric coming off the brim of the hats. The larger one of the two had a large bandaged sword on his back. The one with the sword picked up Sasori.

"Hey, don't you think we should wait for the paramedics?" a bystander said. The swordsman continued moving away, but the smaller Akatsuki member took off his hat. He had lengthy dark hair and an equally dark expression on his face. He just stared at the person who spoke out. The person backed up in fright.

_He looks strangely familiar. His face and that expression._

"Holy crap! It's Him!" Kiba said, the others agreeing with him. Hinata tugged at his jacket and gave him a questioning look. "Oh, it's nothing. He's just infamous. Nothing to worry about," Kiba answered even though he was still visibly freightened.

_But you were worrying just a second ago. If only I had a piece _

The dark haired Akatsuki looked over at them. Specifically at Hinata. As soon as they locked eyes Hinata realized the connection. _That face… It's Sasuke's brother, the one who killed his parents…Sasuke did say something about them wanting me. There's no way he could have known that they tried to previously kill me. Looks like Akatsuki has another interest in me._

Everyone scatters once they are gone.

"Come on, let's go. It's getting late. We should probably get going"

They walked out of the fair and headed to Hinata's house. She had some trouble walked due to loss of blood, and she could feel the makeshift bandages she had were getting soaked with blood. The others noticed, but attributed to being sleepy from being out so late. They followed the street until they reached Hinata's house.

"Alright. See you at school tomorrow."

Hinata waves at them and goes inside the house. She stops by Neji's room. He's there writing in some notebooks and reading a textbook. He is too enthralled in his work to notice her come in, so she goes to the bathroom instead and bandages up the cuts. She didn't notice Neji standing behind her.

"What happened?"

Hinata finished up and then went to her room without answering Neji.

_If he wants to know, he's going to tell me more about this whole Uchiha and Akatsuki thing._

"Can you answer me?" Neji said getting a little desperate. Hinata grabbed her notebook.

**First, tell me about why Uchiha Sasuke doesn't like me.**

Neji froze for a couple of seconds contemplating her offer.

"Well alright…," Neji agreed, "Well…. When my father was killed, someone, the closest to CEO at the time, took over the company since I was too young. He wanted retribution for the murder. After much though and planning, we went to Uchiha Itachi and told him that we were going to eliminate his entire family and the people related to them, but if he just killed his parents we'd pay him handsomely, and leave his brother.

"We thought he would spend time thinking about it, but he accepted immediately, and in a couple of days he did it. What happened afterward was when the trouble really started. The company stood Itachi up; they didn't pay him. So Itachi had to go hide and going Akatsuki. He still probably holds a grudge, and Sasuke holds a grudge because the company blackmailed him into killing his parents. Also, Sasuke hates Itachi for what he did.

"It's all kind of weird how it turned out. But that's all of it. Now you tell me what happened"

Hinata wrote on the notebook telling him what happened minus the whole Sasuke kidnapping part. Akatsuki can get all the blame, but strangely, she did not want Sasuke to get in trouble.

Since tomorrow was the weekend, and it was technically already the next day, Hinata fell asleep in record time.

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That's the end of chapter 11! Thanks for reading this far into the story. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think because the story can't get better without feedback!

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	12. Back to the Past

**Daytime Television: **Here's chapter 12, sorry it took so long. It came time to update and I just stared at my computer saying 'What happens now?'. So I waited another week to update and gather ideas. I hate taking over a week to update. But, I feel like I'm getting better at writing already, since the start of the story. I prefer the later chapters to the first couple of chapters for that reason. What do you all think?

Also, remember that pairings have not been decided yet. There are a couple of people that I have in mind, but it could go anyway.

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**Chapter 12: Back to the Past**

The sun peeked up over the horizon and the early morning light shone through the window. A single ray of light hit Hinata straight in the face. For a little bit, she ignored it and covered her face with a blanket. But, it soon got too hot so she was forced to face the sun again. Hinata was exhausted from the previous night and going to bed late. She had never actually gone to sleep later than around ten. Her parents made sure of that and then it just turned into a habit. Finally, she gathered up enough strength to sit up in her bed. The cut she had gotten the day before still hurt a good amount.

_One more day, and then the week end, and then I can sleep all I want._

She got ready for school and made breakfast for her and Neji. They ate in silence for a few minutes until Neji spoke up,

"So, you want me to hire a body guard or something?" Hinata quickly shook her head with a loud _No! _in her head. "Alright, but I'm worried about you and your safety. They're after you and also me. I'm fine. But, you can't protect yourself very well and they can seriously hurt you."

_Well, I already escaped twice….I think I'm fine also. It's not like they can go to the school because then they'd be arrested. And as for Sasuke, I don't know really know what he wants with me yet._

"Just be careful then. Don't go looking for them or anything." Neji said again. Once Hinata finished breakfast, Neji drove to her to the school. Walking through the hall, Hinata saw Lee at his locker. He held a book in one hand and his crutch in the other.

"Hi! Hinata!" Lee greeted her. She waited for him to finish getting his stuff and then headed for class. Hinata already had what she needed in her bag. No one really asked her why she had a book bag with her instead of carrying her stuff.

Everyone was there in class. The only one missing that day was Sasuke. It was unusual that he would miss a day of school. Even when he was sick he would come to school. He was driven to be the best at everything. Because of his rare absence, Sakura got worried. Naruto and Kiba just said, "Hey, he's got to miss school sometime."

_There could be two reasons why he's gone. He could not want to see me after the whole kidnapping thing, or he still recovering from his wounds. Knowing Sasuke though, he still recovering._

Hinata's worry was in between Sakura's and Naruto's. She was a little concerned considered only she knew the most likely reason of his absence.

…

The couple of classes before lunch passed by quickly. Hinata didn't do the homework of the previous night, but she was ahead of the class, so it didn't affect her and the same applied to Sakura. Naruto on the other hand was in trouble. Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Iruka weren't too happy with him considering he does this type of thing often. Lunch came and Hinata told her friends to go on ahead to lunch. She was happy that they decided not to pester her and ask why. From her locker she went the opposite way from them and headed for Tsunade's office, the nurses office.

The light was on and Tsunade sat at her desk working intensely on something. The desk was littered with papers surrounding the computer and a couple dense looking books were resting over some of the papers. An open bottle of sake also was on the table. Her eyes focused on one book, then to another book, then she would write something down, and then take a sip of the sake. She took no notice of Hinata's presence. Hinata stood there no knowing what since she couldn't exactly say anything to get her attention. She tried clearing her throat, which ended up being barely audible and it hurt her.

_Well I don't want to be rude…but I guess I have to. _Hinata walked behind Tsunade and tapped her on the shoulder. Tsunade jumped and automatically her hand shot up to grab Hinata's hand. Thankfully, Hinata stepped back in time.

"What brings you hear today, Hinata?" Tsunade asked once she realized that there was no threat. Hinata took off her jacket and showed Tsunade the cut. "Goodness. What happened here, let me guess, it was them again?" Hinata nodded and Tsunade went to get some anti-septic.

"Well, you have to be more careful about these things. Normally, the police would handle such things, but recently Akatsuki has been getting more active and the police have started to stay out of it." Tsunade began examining the cut.

"You know, I could probably get the old geezer to do something to keep them away from you," Tsunade said. Hinata shrugged and then remembered a piece of paper in her pocket, which she showed to her.

**It's fine.**

Tsunade cleaned up the cut fairly quickly. "Alright there you go. Try to stay out of trouble." Hinata nodded her head and waved good-bye. Tsunade sat back down in her desk and resumed her rigorous work.

As Hinata was leaving, she saw Lee coming her way. Lee was leaning more on his crutch even more than usual and had some cuts on his face, as well as a large bump on his head. Instantly Hinata went over to help him. He put his arm around her and they walked back to into Tsunade's office. With Lee there getting her attention was easier this time.

"What the hell happened to you?" Tsunade asked also speaking for Hinata.

"It's nothing don't worry! I came to talk with you about something else," Lee dodged her question.

"Hey, I asked what happened," Tsunade asked again.

"I fell down some stairs getting here," Lee said in an embarrassed tone.

"Seriously? Your not that clumsy even in your current condition"

Lee was slightly saddened: he didn't like being reminded of his 'current condition'.

"Well, some girls were making fun of me and calling me 'cripple' again so I tried to prove them wrong by speeding to lunch. I was on the second floor so I took the stairs. Trying to go fast down stairs with a crutch doesn't work so well," explained Lee saying the last sentence in good humor.

Both Tsunade and Hinata shook their heads thinking _Ino, Ino, Ino and her bullying…_

Once Tsunade got Lee an ice pack for his head, Lee got back to what he originally came to speak to Tsunade about.

"Alright Hinata, go to lunch,' Tsunade commanded.

"I'll be fine thanks for your help," Lee added. Once she left the room, their voices could still be heard.

"I told you, there's only 50 percent chance of survival at best. Don't take such unnecessary risks. Give up," Tsunade said harshly. Hinata did not hear Lee's answer. Then, Tsunade spoke again, " Have you had a chance to talk with Guy yet?"

Instead of walking away to lunch Hinata stayed next to the door.

…

[Flashback]

Lee was sitting alone on a deck on the roof of the school earlier in the morning that day. Guy came out and met him, "Early for school huh? What brings you here on this fine morning?"

"How did you know I was here?" Lee asked. Guy let out a small laugh,

"I know you too well."

"This is where you told me that I could go into high school, where I swore my dream, that even though I had a learning disability it is possible for me to succeed. Before, I didn't know the path to make that dream come true. You taught me to put hard work into everything, and the path appeared to succeed," Lee reflected. Images of Lee's hard work in the last couple of years moved around in Guy's head. Then suddenly Lee started crying.

"Hard work, this time, won't get me anywhere," He paused, "What should I do, tell me!" Guy stared at Lee for a moment looking for the right words.

"Lee….," Guy started, "If you lose your dreams you will suffer more than you are now. Take the surgery Lee!"

…

"I see, that's how you feel Lee," Tsunade answered.

"I will be taking the surgery!" Lee exclaimed.

"Alright then. I've been doing research on this for the last couple of days. Give me a little more time to see if I can raise the chance of success above 50 percent," Tsunade said," This could have been a lot worse, you that do you? It's a good thing that you had a good doctor there or else I probably could not have done anything to help you."

"Really? Who?" Lee asked curiously, "I didn't get to meet him because I was out for a while. And can't he don't it since that doctor help you with the surgery?"

Tsunade had a sad look on her face, "Sorry, they died that night."

"Why?"

"It was their day off and they were called in for you. Unfortunately, when they went home, they got in a car accident and didn't survive."

"They?"

"Hinata's parents."

Hinata gasped at this knowledge. She remembered that someone was in the hospital and need her parents help.

"What? So is it my fault that their gone? Does Hinata know?" Lee asked in an urgent whisper.

"No it's not your fault Lee," Tsunade assured him. Hinata thought about what Lee said. It was not his fault that he got injured and Hinata did not want him blaming himself.

"That's the recent car accident that Hinata was in. She knows that it was you that night now though," Tsunade said looking at the door, "Come in. I know your there." Hinata jumped a little. She was too frightened to go in, so instead she ran away to her locker.

Back in the nurse's office, Tsunade finished up with Lee.

"Alright, you go eat to get some common sense in your head. Don't go hurting yourself more." And he left and purposely went to Hinata's locker. She was there leaning against it.

"Hey Hinata you don't blame me?" Lee asked. Hinata shook her head furiously to make sure that he got the message.

…

The rest of the day after lunch passed relatively quickly. At the end of the day before Neji usually took her home, Hinata stopped by to see Tsunade. She had something on her mind that she could not get out. Tsunade was surprised to see her again so quickly.

"Don't tell me you got hurt again." Tsunade said giving her a strange look. Hinata shook her head and walked over to her desk. She looked at the papers now understanding what she had been researching and looked back at Tsunade questioningly.

"I've raised the odds to 55% survival for Lee. It's not much, but it's better than nothing."

Hinata nods in understanding and thinks about something, _I wonder….._She looks at her arms and Tsunade gets the message. Now knowing what Hinata came to ask about, Tsunade had a sad look on her face. They stood in silence for a couple of minutes.

"Sorry about this. While you have similar injuries….," Tsunade paused for a second before continuing, "I wasn't the doctor that performed the surgery on you on that night. I only helped you until the paramedics arrived and after the surgery to get better. I'm not an employee of that hospital. Don't get me wrong, the doctor did a great job, but your parents or me could of done a lot better. I worked furiously to afterward, like I'm doing now for Lee, but I could not find a way to help you regain the full ability of your arms. Sorry"

Hinata pulled out the crumpled piece of paper again

**It's fine. **She smiled at Tsunade and waved good-bye. _It's fine, it really is. If it's not possible, then it's not possible. I can't complain about that._

Since the day was over, Hinata gathered her stuff and realized that there was a couple of minues before Neji would be ready

_Flirting with his girlfriend probably _She silently chuckled and thought of an idea. She walked over to Lee's locker, where he was also about to head home, and started signing to him,

'I know the surgery will go well! Don't stop believing in yourself, everyone supports you'

She felt cheesy saying it, but she wanted to let Lee know that she supported him. She never underestimated the power of moral support.

"Thank you Hinata! You have a fiery flame of Youth blazing inside of you!" He yelled catching the attention of the few people left in the halls.

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That's the end of Chapter 12! Thanks for reading this far and thanks for all of your wonderful reviews. I take each one to heart. Please remember to help me get better, by leaving a review. And to those people who have left multiple reviews many thanks times 10. I keep a folder in hotmail where I keep all the emails from people's reviews, alerts, and favorites.

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	13. Day of Rest

**Daytime Television: **Here's chapter 13! It was a hassle getting this up because my internet was not working, and I had to go around and find some WiFi.

**

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Chapter 13: Day of Rest**

After her hallway encounter with Lee, Hinata headed for the parking lot to wait for Neji to take her home. She spotted his sleek black car among the mess of vehicles, which unfortunately was locked. So, she decided to sit on the hood of it and wait for him. Hinata looked around the parking lot and got a feeling of uneasiness.

_I'm not used to being around so many things and so many people._

She even noticed a particular smell that she assumed as a mixture asphalt and exhaust fumes.

_Ever since I got here, I've been too busy to notice, but the whole city aura just makes me a little sick. That can't be good for my throat either._

_Sometime soon I need to get outside of Konoha and be in the forest for a little while._

"Hey Hinata!" Naruto yelled in close to Hinata's face causing her to jump off the car hood and fall too the ground, "Oops sorry!" Naruto helped her up and Hinata saw that Sakura was coming also.

"Instead of waiting here why don't we walk to your house. It's not that far, Neji's still inside with his girlfriend and it looks like they won't be finishing soon. I think they decided to lay in the grass on the field and look at the clouds or something," Sakura told Hinata, "We already told him that were going to walk home with you."

"Yeah come on, you don't want to stay here and wait forever?"

Hinata agreed with them and followed them to the sidewalk out of the parking lot. While walking Naruto and Sakura had their own conversation forgetting that Hianta was there also, but she didn't mind. It left her to her own thoughts.

She noticed that Naruto and Sakura's relationship was odd. While Naruto and Sakura seemed to never agree on anything, they got along quite well. They had a strong friendship, but Hinata knew that Sakura liked to chase after Sasuke, and be oblivious to Naruto's love for her. Also, Hinata noticed that Sakura seemed to lust after Sasuke. That whole triangle of love was odd.

"Hey Hinata you want to go and have some fun tonight with Sakura and some other people?" Naruto said. Hinata remembering how the other night went promptly shook her head. "Aww come on! We won't leave you again! I promise, we're going to hang out all over town."

_I'm still exhausted from the other night, definitely no. _Naruto sensed her answer.

"Pleeease?" He continued.

"Naruto! If she doesn't want to go then that's fine. Don't be a pest," Sakura intervened much to Hinata's relief until Sakura continued speaking, "But who knows what she'd miss? All the fun that we're going to have. It'll be a good break from school this weak. And it's not like Hinata has homework to do, it's the week end."

"What will she do on such a night?" Naruto added looking at Hinata, "And unless Hinata gives an good reason, she's going to have to come with us."

Hinata just rolled her eyes at them a little annoyed that they were taking advantage of her not speaking.

"But seriously, you should come. There's really nothing else for you to do," Naruto said. Hinata just continued staring at him. When they arrived at her house, Hinata motioned for them to wait there for a second. She ran inside, put her stuff in her room and grabbed a paper and scribbled something in it. Then, rushed back outside to show Naruto and Sakura.

**I'm going to spend time by myself. Maybe some other time.**

"Alright, see you later then," Naruto and Sakura said at the same time, and then continued down the street.

Hinata went back inside and got something to eat. She thought about just leaving another note like the other day, but Neji would probably go combing Konoha looking for her. Instead, she would wait for him to get back.

_I'm also going to need a map. The forest is not a good place to get lost and be in after dark._

She looked around the house for a map and found nothing.

_There has to be one here somewhere, but where? Neji is a pretty studious person so he must have one lying around in his room._

Hinata did not want to invade his privacy, but decided it was necessary. She could have waited for him to get back and ask him, but it look better if she was already prepared and ready to go. It would increase her chances of Neji saying yes.

His room was neat and clean, making the search easier. Hinata was careful to avoid any places that seemed to private. With a quick search of his desk, she had a map of the area that also luckily had an 'x' where the house was. Now finished with what she was doing, Hinata sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. She did not watch much TV, so she did not know what channels would be interesting. Hinata watched the channel that was already there.

"Another kidnapping seems to have occurred according to police reports. Just like the prior ones, there have been extremely few leads to the where abouts of these people, including if they are being held or have been killed," the news lady said, "It is suspected that the gang Akatsuki is behind it, but there was been no word from them, and any attempts to contact them have failed."

"Hmm… interesting isn't it?" a voice said behind Hinata causing her to jump.

_Neji! How did he get in here without making a sound?_ Her expression told Neji exactly what she was thinking.

"I didn't sneak in actually. I came in through the front door and there you were staring at the TV intently. It's interesting what's happening."

_Yeah, what could they be up to?_

"And I bought you a cell phone. Since you like getting in to trouble so much," Neji stated changing the subject. He already expected Hinata's puzzled look, "Phone's aren't only for calling. Texting can be just as useful." Hinata thanked him and looked at it. It was not anything fancy, but it would work.

"Plus, your going to need it if your going out to the woods this evening," Neji said with a slight smile. Hinata was surprised that he knew where she was going. She did not remember telling him.

"You have a map of the surrounding area and I know you don't like the city. To be honest, I was bothered that you hadn't asked until now. You have a couple hours of sunlight before it begins to get dark. I suggest you stat at the Third Training Ground."

Hinata grabbed her jacket and headed outside. All she needed to do is find the training grounds that Neji talked about. . By now she knew the city quite well, so all she had to do was look on the map to see where it was relative to the other places she had been. Once Hinata got closer to the grounds, the city faded away into forest.

_So peaceful. _Hinata thought taking a deep breath of the crisp air.

The path continued for a little bit before Hinata reached a clearing in the forest. There were three posts stuck in the ground and she walked up to them wondering what they could be used for.

_Well, this is a training ground. There could many uses for this… _Hinata sits against the post and closes her eyes. In her old home, she would do this whenever she was bored, which happened a lot. She always finished her school work early. She might read a good book, but some days her mind did not feel up to it. Television was out of the question, since the remote house was not near any cable lines, and her parents did not see any need for satellite. On those days, Hinata would walk out of the back door and head for the forest. Not too far though, she was careful not to do anything dangerous, but just far enough that he two story home was barely visible.

Sometimes, she would find a sturdy tree or a soft patch of ground and lie down listening to the noises of the forest. The sky was partially visible, and the moving clouds also provided entertainment, until she fell asleep.

Other times, she would feel more adventurous and walk around, still keeping the house in sight. Hinata might have gone looking for a certain animal or plant she had read about. Also, she might have climbed a tree. That was out of the question now though.

Hinata looked up at the clouds their swirls and movement mesmerizing her. The stress from the past week melted into the ground. Her past crept up on her slowly.

…

The sun was shining brightly in the sky and there was not a cloud in sight in Konoha. Hinata was packing up her stuff as best she could, considering that she was still young.

"Father what's going to happen to Neji?" the young Hinata asked.

Hiashi sighed, "I do not know what is to become of that boy. He would never come with us on his own free will. He's just going to have to stay here by himself, I know he can take care of himself. Don't worry about it."

"Alright," she responded, "I'm going to say good-bye to him then. Even though he doesn't like us"

"No. Stay here. It's better if he doesn't know that we are going or where we are going." Haishi explained and then went to pack more things. Hinata looked around the house. There was still a considerable amount of packing left and it would be a while until they left.

_I have time. _Hinata thought. She snuck out of the house and ran down the street. The route to where Neji lived was short, and she knew the path quite well. They lived outside of the congested, city part of Konoha, so there really was not any reason to get lost.

When she arrived, out of breath and legs burning from running so fast, she knocked on the door of the house. It was a nice house, but it was no where near as elegant as the mansion that Hinata lived in.

Neji answered. Another Hyuga was taking care of him, but he probably was at work. As soon as he caught a glance at Hianta, his already cold expression turned even colder. He did not say a word.

"N-Neji-s-san, I-I j-just wanted t-to say g-good bye," Hinata said terrified.

"I don't care. Good riddance," Neji responded, "Go away." Hinata felt an unusual amount of courage suddenly flow into her.

"W-why do you hate me?"

"Go away," Neji started to shut the door, but Hinata stopped it. Neji looked calm still, but on the inside he was fuming.

"P-Please answer," Hinata said.

"Go ahead and run away like a coward. I will stay here. Fate has decided for me to be strong and not run away. It's your family's fault, and they will always be weak," Neji said. He then forcefully shoved her off the steps to the front door. He shut the door and Hinata landed on the grass.

…

The falling feeling snapped Hinata out of her trance. She looked around and then remembered that she had a cell phone.

_An hour asleep!_ She thought as she tried to get up struggling because she was still half-asleep, _I need to get up and move around. I can't fall asleep out here. I still have a little while until it gets dark, but if I fall asleep, I might not wake up for more than a couple hours._

Hinata walked further down the path until she came to a black triangular stone. Thre were different kinds of flowers laid at the base of the stone. By now the sun was getting lower, and the shadows longer, making the names on the dark stone hard to read. After much struggle, she managed to read through the list of names, looking for any clues to what it could be for. The scan yielded only one familiar name, Uzumaki Kushina.

_Naruto's mother….What could this stone possibly mean?_

"Interesting isn't it?" a voice said behind her. Hinata turned around completely expected Neji to be there since he had already snuck up on her today. The man was wearing a straw hat that covered his face and a black cloak with red clouds on it. He took of the hat and Hinata saw his face, dark hair, eyes and expression. She recognized him from the fair the previous night taking Sasori away, but that is not all that she recognized. She noticed the similarity between Sasuke and him, that this was Uchiha Itachi.

Her first instinct was to run, until Itachi said "Don't run. I only want to have a talk."

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That's the end of chapter 13! Thanks for reading. I plan to update in around weeks. It kills me to take that long, but there's no way I could do it in a week.

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	14. Darkness

**Daytime Television: **Here chapter 14. It took me a month to update because school started, junior year of high school. I hear it's the hardest one of high school. So anyways, thanks for reading I hope no one is upset. If you have any suggestions, I would appreciate it too.

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Chapter 14: Darkness**

By now the sun had sunken below the horizon. Red rays of light painted one half of the sky, while a lingering darkness enveloped the other. It was like the heavens were at a stale mate, both equal in power at this moment. The moon was already out, in a waning crescent above the land. The distorted, twisting shadows of the tall trees danced around the two figures.

Hinata and Itachi stood ten feet from each other not moving. Hinata stood there not knowing what to do. Her first instinct was to get out of there as fast as possible, but her body stayed put. Partially because Itachi commanded her to stay put, but also partially because Hinata knew that she would not have a chance at getting away. She had no knowledge of how fast he could run, or what he wanted. If he is going for murder, she might as well stay, instead of turning her back on him. In addition, the possibility of getting lost was real. Sure the path was right in front of her, but would it still be there if she made a desperate dash away from him?

"What makes you stay? For all you know, I could be after you," Itachi finally said breaking the silence. Both of them stayed unmoving while a gust of wind passed by. He seemed to be contemplating something.

"I know all about you. We are excellent at gathering intelligence. Even since you and your parents moved away, we've kept watch…"

Hinata was glad that he stayed put. If he moved closer, she would be forced to run away.

_What's all this have to do with me? I mean I thought it just involved two companies_

"Are you going to say anything?" He asked coldly, "Well?" He added the last part with a hint of annoyance in his voice. Hinata jumped a little at his tone of voice. Who knows what he would do if she got him angry. She did not want to find out.

"_We've kept watch…" _ Those words played over in her head. Hinata felt like running away. Maybe she would make it. There was a chance she could make it back to the building of Konoha where there would definitely be help. Her weight shifted slightly to get ready to quickly turn around. Hinata heard Itachi's voice and she froze unable to move again.

"One of Akatsuki's goals is to capture you. You've managed to escape so far, but try it right now, and you won't make it back to Konoha," He said. Hinata faced him again.

_Maybe I can get information from him. As soon as he does anything threatening, I'll make a run for it. But how do I ask him? _Hinata thought for a second. Then she tried to ask him by mouthing the words. _It's worth a shot. Not like I can do anything else._

'I don't get what your saying. Why keep watch?'

"You finally decide to say something... I cannot answer you question unfortunately. I still have ties to Akatsuki," Itachi said. Hinata was surprised that he understood her. "Yes I know how to read lips, and so does Sasuke. It's a skill that our family has."

_Wait Sasuke? Well now I now he really doesn't like me if he knows that he can talk to me._

"Seemed surprised? What is you relationship to him?" _Relationship? No way am I in a relationship with him._ Reading her mind Itachi spoke again, "Do you care about him. Would you care if he disappeared?

Hianta thought about his question. Sasuke never had shown any kindness towards her, or towards anyone for that matter. He never really even acknowledged her except for some one-word mutters. But, she thought about Sakura and Naruto's closeness with him.

'I've never really considered him a friend, but I never have thought of him as the enemy'

Itachi continued looking at her.

"Not as an enemy…Even as he used you to lure me to him. Clever idea," Itachi replied, "Why do you not hate him?"

'Because he's not a bad person' She replied.

"How do you know? You can't see inside people and see who they really are," Itachi explained, "Sasuke's pain and rage will grow."

'No because he has two good friends to keep him from falling prey that

"What could they possibly do to help him?"

'Their like his siblings, like the one you never were. They are doing what you should be doing. Your nothing but an evil murderer.'

"People live their lives bond what they accept as correct and true. But what does it mean to be 'correct' or 'true'? Merely vague concept,"1 Itachi looked at the full moon in the sky. The sun already sank below the horizon. The bright yellow light ceased to exist, and the cool, muted colors from the reflected moonlight flowed into the scene.

"Not only is Akatsuki after you, it's my task to retrieve you and Naruto."

Hinata instantly turned and sprinted down the path. A rare smirk appeared on Itachi's face. It was ever so faint, but it was there.

_So he's really after me. I'm not going to allow them to catch me. _Hinata focused on staying on the path. If she stopped if only for a brief moment, that could be enough for him to catch her. Individual trees morphed together formed a wall on either side of her.

It took her a little while to get out her, but now running at full speed, Hinata saw the beginning of the city. If Itachi had not caught her yet, he would not catch her now. At least that's what she thought. A figure snuck behind her without her noticing. Her movement was frantic and exasperated. The figure's movement was swift and fluid: All that could be heard was the quiet whisper of the displaced air. It shifted closer to her, still invisible to Hinata. Just as Hinata reached the city she heard a hushed murmur.

"Your parent's accident was planned," Itachi said. Hinata whipped around to face directly behind her. Some rustled leaves settled to the ground, but she saw no one. She stopped running when the realization about what he just had said reached her.

"_Your parent's accident was planned."_

_That can't be right, I was there when it happened. How could it have been planned, there's no way. And also, why would they do that? He's probably lying, no need to get worked up over it._

Hinata continued walking through the city. The moon was so bright in the sky that it seemed to compete for brightness with the city lights.

"Hey Hinata over here!" Naruto yelled from across the street. He was headed home after spending the afternoon around Konoha. Naruto's shout snapped Hinata out of her thoughts. She waved to him and crossed the street, not bothering to look for cars since it was late at night.

"What are you doing out at this time at night?" Naruto asked slightly concerned, but more curious. Hinata after talking with Itachi, forgot that Naruto did not know how to sign and started to 'speak' rapidly to him. Seeing his confused look she remembered.

_I was already getting used to it… _Instead she pointed out to the forest.

"What? The forest? At this time at night? That's dangerous there could be bandits out there. There's no police out there?

_Well, the police really haven't been doing anything in this city. And I already ran into a dangerous person, more dangerous than a bandit or a thief. In fact, I should probably tell Naruto about it. No… Probably not, he'd probably worry and tell Sakura or Kiba, or even Neji, and they probably will never step out side ever again._

"Hinata are you okay? You look like you zoned out for a little while?" Naruto questioned bringing Hinata back to reality, "You also look a little worried? What's wrong?" She quickly smiled and him and motioned that it was nothing before he could get any more suspicious.

"But what were you doing out there? Out there sitting and looking at the sky for a couple of hours since I saw you this afternoon?" Naruto speculated. Hinata nodded, "Yeah I remember you mentioned something about you liking the forest or something a while ago."

Hinata pointed at him and gave him a questioning glance.

"Oh yeah, me and Sakura and Kiba went to go eat ramen. Choji, you've met him, was going to come with us, but he said something about ramen not being filling. He ended up going with Shikamaru to a resturant that had steaks. I don't know what he was talking about. Ramen is filling! I had like 10 plates and was full," Naruto described his night, "After that we hung out at the base of the Hokage mountain."

_The Hokage mountain….hmm…. Ah the mountain with giant faces carved in. Mayors of the city, I think. _

"I actually used to paint on the faces all the time as a prank," Naruto laughed a bit, "It still is funny even after a couple of years since I last did it. You should come and see them up close, great way to spend an evening.

"Got to go though. I have some business in the forest like you," Naruto said, "I have to visit a memorial." Hinata understood where he was talking about going. She did not know why, but she was sure it had something to do with the Uzumaki Kushina that was engraved among the many names there.

"Bye. See ya later!" Naruto said waving to Hinata as he headed to where Hinata just came from. She smiled and waved back at him. He was headed to where the light from the city ended and met the darkness of the forest. As she turned to head home she remembered what Itachi mentioned.

_That they are after him also…_

Hinata whipped around to bring him back and tell him not to go, but he was already gone in darkness by time she was fully facing where he was only seconds ago. There was no way for her to warn him about the danger that could still be waiting in the forest.

_But is he really a dangerous person? At anytime he could have gotten me and taken me away. Even when I ran away and he caught up, he didn't do anything. But then again, he is a murder and those people are supposed to be bad, right? I'll just have to wait until tomorrow to see._

Hinata hesitated to turn back and leave Naruto. _I should go and to make sure he's alright. It wouldn't be right to leave him alone. He doesn't even know who was just in that area. But, I there would be a low chance of finding him… Well actually I know were he's going…_

A small breeze passed through causing some trash on the street to cross in front of Hinata.

_I have no choice. _She started walking to the forest again. Once she neared the end of the completely lit city, the immense darkness awaited her. Hinata stopped moving and a shiver ran down her spine.

_The darkness._

She had not been this afraid in a long time, probably since waking up in the hospital after losing her voice, and then after waking up after the accident that took away her parents. She really had not been intimidated by anything besides that, even those encounters with Akatsuki. They were pretty terrifying, but staying calm allowed her to escape those meetings.

_Just go…There's nothing wrong. _

She stood there, frozen. Hinata could hear her heart pounding.

_This isn't for you. This is for Naruto, your friend. _She still could not move. She was afraid of something. There was no away it was just because of the absence of light. Hinata outgrew that childish fear years ago. Itachi's words came to her again,

"_Your parent's accident was planned."_

Hinata certainly did not believe that. There was no way. But why would Itachi lie to her? Wasn't he supposed to capture her? Yet he did not. The more she thought about it the more she found the truth in his statement. It was not zero possibility. Maybe she did not want to go back and find Itachi again and have him convince her that it was absolute truth. Kind of ironic, afraid not of the dark, but of the light shed by the darkness. Hinata would rather stay in the dark a bit longer, away from the complex schemes of the world.

_He'll be fine. Itachi couldn't have known that Naruto was going to go into the forest at this time. He most likely went back to where Akatsuki's base is. Naruto also can take care of himself. I mean if I got back all right, why wouldn't he?_

Comforted by her logic, Hinata turned to her back on the sinister shadows and headed home.

**

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**1: **This is a quote from _Naruto_

That's the end of chapter 14! Thanks for reading. I hope to update as soon as possible. I will never ever leave a story without finishing it, it's just how I am. So, even if I only get half an hour to write each week, I will still try to update. Thanks!

Remember to review! It one of the most wonderful feelings to read other people's opinion!

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	15. Traveling

**Chapter 15: Traveling**

Upon reaching her house, Hinata headed straight for her room. She shook off the sick feeling that invaded her body when Naruto left. Instead, Hinata remembered the placid evening before Itachi showed up. It felt was nice to get out and take a break; It was refreshing being able to forget the rest of the world albeit only temporarily.

The next day was Saturday, so Hinata decided sleep in. She didn't really decide, she just ended up sleeping in it was almost noon. In fact, she probably would have sleep later had Neji not come in. She didn't even look at the clock until later.

"Hey Hinata, are you awake?" Neji asked her. Hinata groaned and got up and stared at him. "I'm leaving the house to do some important work. I'll be back in a couple of hours. Don't forget that you have an appointment with Tsunade at 2," Hinata nodded and then fell back on the bed. Neji's footsteps grew fainter as he walked away. Then, the front door opened and just as quickly it shut again. The house was quiet. It was odd though, how in the forest there is always some bit of noise if you listen well enough. In the house there was no noise at all. The absence of sound caused Hinata to hear a faint ringing in her ears.

_Well I'm up already. _Hinata thought as she stepped on to the floor. The squeak from the bed and the floor broke the silence.

Hianta got up, dressed and then sat on the couch and wondered what to do. The light from the day shined through the windows. There was hardly any dust particles in the air to make the beams visible because Neji made sure to keep a clean and organized house.

She already shrugged off the whole Naruto thing and thought more her encounter with Itachi. Something seemed odd about him.

Then, her stomach growled.

_I can't believe I forgot about eating. _Hinata thought as she headed towards the kitchen. There was nothing but cereal to eat. Lookng back, Hinata noticed that they order food to eat most days. Hinata decided to go out to eat.

_I wonder if there are places open in the morning? _She went to check the time and was surprised to find that it was 11:45.

_No wonder Neji left. He probably was waiting for me to get up before he went and finally could not wait any longer. _

_It's almost time now, so I guess I'll be having lunch instead of breakfast._

Hinata headed for the main part of town and looked around to see what looked good to eat. She found a place that served grilled items like steak. _That looks good._

Once she walked in, she looked for a place to sit. Hinata did not have to look further because suddenly someone yelled to the left side of her.

"HINATA-CHAN, COME OVER HERE!" the voice yelled that she immediately recognized as Rock Lee. Hinata stood there, still kind of shocked at the loudness of his voice, while Lee grabbed his crutch and went to Hinata.

"Come sit with us," he said pointing to a table with Shikamaru sitting there. Shikamaru motioned them to come over. Once they sat back down Hinata ordered some eggs. Lee and Shikamaru both ordered some steak. It was still morning enough that the restaurant was still serving breakfast. Hinata didn't feel like eating steak for breakfast.

"You haven't had breakfast yet?" Shikamaru asked, "I thought I woke up late today."

Hinata nodded and remembered that she could actually talk with Lee.

'Neji left because he could wait any longer for me to wake up. He left on some important business matter'

"Interesting I saw Neji in walking around looking for someone half and hour ago," Lee said with thinking look.

"Yeah, I saw Tenten and him at going into a movie, on my way over here to eat," Shikamaru said letting out a small smile. Lee and Hinata both laughed.

'Wait how do understand what I sign?' Hinata signed to Shikamaru.

"Lee actually taught me last night" Shimaru answered her. _In one night? He is extremely intelligent and picks things up really fast._

"While it may not look like it on the outside , SHIKAMARU HAS THE FLAMES OF YOUTH BURNING INSIDE OF HIM!"

…

"Hey Lee did you know that Gaara is coming back to school?" Shikamaru asked. The normally talkative Lee got quiet. "Guess not." Then, Lee spoke, "Where'd end up going after he got expelled?"

"Don't know. No one knows about this either," Shikamaru explained. Lee again was noticeably quiet. Then Hinata moved off the subject a little and added, ' How'd you find out?'

Shikamaru let out a grin, "When I'm sleeping no one pays attention to me. I was sleeping after class and I woke up but I continued to look like I'm sleeping when I heard Sarutobi-sensei and Jiraiya-sensei come in and start talking about it."

'I guess your lazyness does come in handy once in a while' Hinata told Shikamaru.

After a few more minutes of conversation, they invited Hinata to go study with them.

"Shikamaru, of course doesn't need to study," Lee told her, " So all he really does is sit around and complain about how bored he is."

"That, and every one of your questions when get confused on something," Shikamaru added. Hinata could tell that under his uninterested face, he did want to have a little credit. He did not want her thinking that he was the type of person who would be that lethargic to not help a friend."

"So you want to go study? I know it's only noon, but with the heat of the sun, it's probably better to stay inside," Shikamaru continued. Hinata thought about it and decided to go with them. _I really have nothing better to do._ She was about to say yes, when she remembered about the meeting with Tsunade. It was 1:30 and she had to be at her office at 2. Not to mention the hospital where her office was clear across the Konoha.

'Sorry, I have a meeting with Tsunade. I don't know how long it's going to take, but I'll find you guys when it's over. Then, we can probably do something," Hinata told them, 'By the way Lee, how is your leg healing?' Hinata was more concerned for him than herself. Hinata didn't really mind living with limitations. Even though he didn't show it now, Lee definitely did.

"Umm… I've made progress since it happened a month ago. I'm still far from using the crutch though. I'm getting more used to it now, so I guess that's good."

'Just don't lose hope'

….

Hinata went the opposite way that Lee and Shikamaru went. She was going to the Konoha general hosital were Tsunade had an office. _I thought she quit working there. _Hinata questioned. After walking through the increasingly familiar streets, Hinata saw the building rise above the others.

She remembered only a year before when she had to be rushed in the hospital back in her hometown. Neji had come over to visit. It took a lot of arguing over the phone and even some threats were said, to get Neji to stay with them. There was a martial arts tournament in town and Hinata needed to move on to a higher belt. Hinata of course didn't really like to fight, but her father pushed her to do it.

Neji was participating also, and was going to stay in a hotel near the arena. When Hiashi heard of this, he thought that Neji should stay with them. Neji didn't tell him about his coming to the town, Hiashi really found out from a pamphlet of all the participants.

So after much struggle (and as mentioned before) threats, Neji arrived to her house the night before.

~Flash Back~

[A year and 2 months prior]

Hinata was in her room back in her old house reading a book. She had just came from outside because it was about to be dark. _Neji is coming today. I hope he's at least a little nicer. It's been some years since I last saw him, and he really disliked me then. _

"His father's death has made him disrespectful. He can't keep living alone," Hiashi said, "He has to come live here where he would have some parental authority."

"Getting him to stay for a couple nights was difficult enough," Hinata's mother elaborated, "There's no way he would agree to that. Even if you threaten to take all of his share of the Hyuga fortune that he has been living off of…But who knows, coming here might change his mind a little bit."

The doorbell rang with Neji no doubt being behind the door. Hinata shut the book and went to the front door to greet him. Hinata's dad opened the door and sure enough Neji was there. The cab that picked him up drove away. He just stood there.

"Well come in," Hiashi, "It's cold outside." Neji stepped in still keeping an emotionless face. Hinata smiled at Neji: Neji glared at her. She grew slightly afraid and took a step back. Neji smirked,

"I see the first born here is weak as always," Neji said implying that he had more worth then her. Haishi shook his head,

"Well Neji, your room up the stairs, at the end of the hallway. It's the 2nd to last door." He nodded and walked up carrying a backpack.

Neji didn't come out of the room until dinner. Even then, he hardly said a word. His expressions were enough though. The only time he said something is when her parents asked her if she did her schoolwork for the day. He said something about her being "Pampered and shielded from the outside world."

The following morning they headed for the tournament. Hinata's parents couldn't stay because they had to work, but they wished her good luck, and also to Neji.

Hinata fought and won 2 matches (in reality because she was a little older because she had not progressed). What really frightened her though was the announcement of Neji being in her division. That wasn't right, Neji was much older and stronger than anyone in that division. She ran over to an information desk and wrote on a paper **Isn't Neji Hyuga too old?** The man behind the desk answered "Well yes, I thought so too, so I double checked. It turns out he was dropped to that level because he kept starting fights at school and in the arena, he would not stop when the referee stopped the match. The guy he beat the crap out of had to be sent to the emergency room."

She thanked the man and went back to the stands to hear parings for the next match.

_There is a low, but completely possible chance that I will have to fight him…_

And her thoughts were reverberated on to the screen showing both their names.

Neji casually walked down, while Hinata was shaking a little bit. Soon, they both faced each other. It was obvious to the crowd that they were related. They all paid close attention to what looked like an interesting match. Neji spoke before the referee started the match, "Your fear is obvious. Quit now, or I won't be responsible for what will happen. I will not show any restraint." Hinata did not respond. She was to afraid to speak. Neji went on verbal jabs at her for at least a minute.

"Umm… You can start now," the referee said, a bit confused.

"Sure. One last chance to forfeit," Neji smirked. Hinata meekly raised her hand to give up. Just as she did, a voice a voice shouted from stands, "DON'T GIVE UP. DON'T LISTEN TO THAT JERK. YOU CAN DO IT." Then, another voice yelled "KEEP THE FLAMES OF YOUTH BURNING." In hindsight, Hinata recognized the two voices of Naruto and Lee.

The encouragement prompted Hinata to put her hand down. Neji didn't waste another word and charged at her.

He went for a direct punch not expecting any defense. Hinata expertly deflected it and caught him off balance. She landed a decent punch into his stomach. It did not physically hurt him, at least not as much as it hit his ego. He scoffed and calmed himself down before he charged at her again. This time he was extremely quick and dexterous with his attacks. Hinata managed to redirect three punches and a kick, but then eventually Neji landed a blow to her stomach. Pulses of pain hit Hinata. It took her a second to recover. In that second, Neji kicked her so hard that it knocked her off her feet.

Hinata felt her self losing consciousness. Never before had she been hit so hard. There was a trickle of blood coming out of the side of her mouth. Remembering the words of encouragement, she laboriously picked her self up. Neji waited for her to come. Hinata ran at Neji and they began fighting again. Neji landed more hits, but Hinata took them and countered with her own. Neji noticed her new confidence and sought to bring her down. He decided to try something different. It was something he learned from his sensei.

Neji quickly threw a punch to her face with his right hand. Hinata barely dodged it. As she dodged it, with his left hand he took a quick jab at a pressure point in her right shoulder. Hinata felt a strange sensation in her arm and she had trouble moving it. Neji, seeing success, jabbed again, but this time, to her both her legs. Hinata was left shaking, having trouble staying up. Still, she had determination in her eyes.

This made Neji furious. She was weak and he wasn't. He gathered all of his energy and sprinted towards her. He threw all of his weight on to a hard stab into just under her sternum. Hinata fell and was gasping for air. She struggled on the floor coughing up blood. The referee quickly stepped in. Neji did care about the rules. He ran at Hinata again.

In a burst of speed, Guy grabbed Neji with a mix of disappointment and anger in his face.

[End Flashback]

"Hey Hinata!" Sakura yelled from across the street. Hinata was pretty close to the hospital building and still probably on time.

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That's the end of chapter 15! Sorry it took so long. I have one question though. Do you think that it would be worth the trouble to go back and erase the author messages? Also, don't forget to review!

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	16. Short Meeting

**Chapter 16: Short Meeting**

"Hey Hinata!" Sakura yelled from across the street. Hinata snapped out of the flash back and looked over to her. Sakura ran over to her. A car braked quickly barely avoiding her, and once she passed the driver yelled and drove off.

"Do you want to come study with me?" Sakura asked. Hinata shook her head and mouthed the word 'busy'.

"Alright," Sakura responded, "Naruto and Sasuke both aren't around. Knowing Naruto, he's still probably asleep. And Sasuke, I don't ever know were he goes."

Hinata nodded.

"Well see ya." Sakura walked away and headed for the Konoha library. Hinata made a mental note to look for Naruto as soon as possible. Then, she continued to her destination. The hospital was only about a few hundred feet away. Hinata entered and found a listing of all the rooms. She found the one that said Tsunade, on the third floor. It took her a while to find the elevator and then it took even longer to find the office. She was familiar with the hospital her parents worked at but this one was completely new to her and much, much bigger. It didn't help that she couldn't ask for directions. She eventually found it at the end of a long hallway. On the large wooden door there was a piece of paper taped.

'_If you come here with paperwork, go away'_

Hinata chuckled a little and walked in.

The office was a rather spacious office complete with a large and messy bookshelf. Every book on the shelf had many papers sticking out of it. Some books lay on the ground in manner. She obviously had been working on something. Light passed though the window and lit the room.

Tsunade was passed out with a bottle of sake in her hand and her head rested on her desk. Her head was buried in loose papers. She stomped her feet a couple times yielding no response from Tsunade.

_Well…. I hate to do it, but it's not like I'm going to wait here until she wakes up…_ Hinata was hoping to pick up the large book on the desk and drop it back on the desk, but realized that she couldn't pick it up. Instead she opted to give a hard kick to the desk hoping to give the same effect. Hinata quickly retreated to a near by chair looking as innocent as possible.

Tsunade shot up, and most of the papers on her desk fell off on to the floor. "Huh? What?" She said looking a round and taking a minute to absorb the scene. Finally, she noticed Hinata patiently waiting in a chair smiling. She couldn't tell if the smile was friendly or if it was a guilty smile. Defeated, Tsunade fell back in her chair and gave a moan "I have such a large headache."

After a minute, she remembered that Hinata was still waiting there, "You know one of the best things about still having an office here and not working here anymore, is that no one ever bothers me about anything. And if someone needs me, they can never find me." Hinata shrugged. Tsuande opened a drawer and grabbed a notebook, and tossed it to Hinata. Then gave her a pen.

**How'd you get to keep an office here?**

Tsunade laughed. "They couldn't get me out of here if they tried. After I quit, I still kept coming here. No one really has said anything." She started to pick up the papers that fell on the ground.

"But anyway, how are your arms healing?"

**Good… I guess. I really can't pick anything up that isn't light.**

"Ok, then. I'll have to continue working at that. Right now nothing can be done."

Hinata nodded. "I'm working on the same thing with Lee's condition, so once I have a breakthrough with one, the other should come easier. This is what I've been working on for the past couple of days," Tsunade explained referring to the papers that she put on the desk again. Then Hinata raised an eyebrow and pointed to the empty glasss bottle.

"Oh… Well… 48 hours of straight work deserves a reward."

"So how's everthing going? Neji being good?" Tsunade questioned, "I know he always wasn't they nicest person."

**He's really changed. I don't know why, but I can't complain.**

"A complete turn around. That would be Naruto's doing," Tsunade said, "He's an interesting person." Hinata nodded.

There was silence for a couple of seconds before Hinata continued the conversation.

**Naruto seems to be missing today. **_I don't want to start raising red flags and getting everyone worked up over nothing, but I think something really happened to him._

"Hmm… Well Naruto is unpredictable…. I wouldn't be worried though. It's the weekend, so he could be anywhere. Maybe if he misses school without notifying the school, then that would signal that something happened." Tsunade told her, "Then come and notify me." Hinata nodded and then waved good-bye.

Tsunade saw that Hinata still was a little uneasy, "Really, don't spend the rest of the weekend worrying." Then, Hinata left the hospital and walked back home.

**

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Sorry for the half-chapter. I really tried, but I had no creativity past this, even with winter break. I'm posting this to assure anyone that cares, that I'm still writing (But I haven't updated in over 2 months). I don't have a definite plan for it, just specific scenes that I want included. In other words, I need to connect them in a story manner. But, it's school time again, so it'll probably be a couple of months before a regular length chapter is out.

Like I've said before, I would appreciate any suggestions.

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	17. Note

This is not really a chapter. I'm posting this to, first, mention that I posted this story exactly 1 year ago.

Second, I want to say that I am working on rewriting this story. I plan to add details, take away certain scenes, add some scenes, to make the story flow better. I wrote this story without any sort of plan, but I like where it has ended up, I just need to fix how it got there. Once I finish all of that, I will start writing some chapters.


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